Since the momma cat already knows how to glide from branch to branch using the wing suit the was fitted with at birth, she'll presumably show her kittens how to do the same.

Cats are already pretty good at landing and if you watch a slow motion video, they are very good at righting themselves and extending their legs out to cushion their fall. This is the same profile they'd have for a wing suit.

The exhibit would be set up with a series of cat towers padded for safety that the cats could climb and fly from, tower to tower like flying squirrels in trees. The floor would likewise be padded so any missed landing on an upper tier wouldn't result in any harm to the animal.

Why? Because this would be the star attraction of any circus, zoo or amusement part.

And why from the cat's perspective? I think that's self evident. The cats would love it. And after generations of cats that showed better prowess at flying mating with other similarly inclined kitties, (obviously better fliers would get the all the chicks) you'd have created a breed of flying cats, albeit a hybrid of animal and machine unless you can get into the genetics enough to grow flying squirrel style wing extensions between the front and back legs.

You could also train them by putting them in one of those indoor skydiving things with air blasting upwards.

Boy will this idea be missing the annotations of a particular sorely missed Halfbaker.
-- doctorremulac3, May 25 2021

Fast forward to 1:05. https://www.youtube...watch?v=RtWbpyjJqrU
God, why to people talk so much on their stupid Youtube intros? [doctorremulac3, May 25 2021]

Have one area be like those indoor skydiving things. https://www.youtube...watch?v=pmVAkb4naKk
[doctorremulac3, May 25 2021]

The towers would be basically like this only much taller and padded. https://www.chewy.c...EAQYByABEgIAnvD_BwE
Cats already know to climb and jump from these, at some point they'd figure out that, with their new wing suits, they could fly between them. [doctorremulac3, May 25 2021]

Prior art https://www.google...._AgAQ4dUDCAc&uact=5
Well, sort of... it's a bit morbid looking... [neutrinos_shadow, May 26 2021]

Could to a helicopter version with dogs. https://images.app....l/YDQQ9TW3QZm7ks2u9
[doctorremulac3, May 26 2021]

A good start. I propose the addition of a cat door connected to a bungee system to rapidly accelerate any entering cat up to flight speed. Call it a cat-a-pult.
-- sninctown, May 25 2021


Dho!
-- doctorremulac3, May 25 2021


Nice. A cat can survive an eight story drop, (hmmmm I wonder if that's where the whole nine lives thing came from?)

With this invention no inner city pigeon will ever be safe again.
-- 2 fries shy of a happy meal, May 26 2021


There you go, a nice little bonus.
-- doctorremulac3, May 26 2021


marked-for-borgbait -_;
-- Voice, May 26 2021


I wonder whether they would intentionally stalk and bring down small drones, just for fun. Might we occasionally get a half-dead drone deposited on the doormat, as a gift?
-- pertinax, May 26 2021


an instant laugh and an instant bun for great family memories.

When my brother was a little kid he used to fling our cat across the room to land on the couch. My dad always said” Peter is teaching Ginger to fly!”
-- xandram, May 26 2021


[xandram, your brother was far ahead of his time, then. Sweet.]

I love the idea, and yes, it does reek of borgbait, but then during his era, I was afraid to even let a feline idea enter into my thoughts as bakery material. I kind of thought, "why bother", when it will get eaten up in milliseconds if posted.

So I welcome the year of the cat. Let's set the place on fire with original and clever cat escapades.
-- blissmiss, May 26 2021


//A cat can survive an eight story drop,//

Cats can survive more or less any drop, it's very likely heavily dependent on weight. Interestingly, peak mortality, in terms of number of stories fallen is around 4. The theory being that above 4 stories they have time to get themselves organized in the air.

A suitable borg reply might be: "Flying cats... By Raytheon. The ideal calibration and testing standard for the Phalanx Shipborne Close-In Weapons System (CIWS) available as free-fall air drop or as a discarded sabot round for a 5" naval gun."
-- bs0u0155, May 26 2021


Okay, I will not admit to laughing at the Prior art link. Cat: not creepy. Quadcopter: not creepy.

Cat-quadcopter: Very creepy.
-- doctorremulac3, May 26 2021


Cartoon of a dog flying with its tail: cute as heck. (see link)

Actual stuffed dog with rotor inserted as necessary to create the linked flying dog: even creepier than the quadcoptercat.
-- doctorremulac3, May 26 2021



random, halfbakery