Cats are able to jump up to six times their own height and have an incredible ability to climb. Not only can they jump up high but they also have the ability to jump down from great heights without injuring themselves.

When a cat is trying to scale a tall tree it will initially jump as high as it can and then use the momentum to run up the remainder of the tree using its claws to hold on.

Their ability to climb up the tree is a lot better than their ability to get back down again. And when chased a cat can climb a considerable way up a tree for security, and then realize that the climb down is a lot higher than expected.
If a fireman isn't present to help it down from its perilous position the cat will initially stretch down as far as possible with its front legs before making a final jump.

Sometimes the cat will reverse back down the tree using its hind claws for grip until it gets to a height that it is comfortable with, to jump the remaining distance, knowing that it has an inherent ability to always land the right way up.

Their ability to jump from one object to another is a lot better, as they are able to judge distance very well and always land just on the edge of any object no matter how much the distances might change.

In less than a fifth of a second a cat can right itself, even if it has started falling upside down. This allows a cat that is dropped upside down from a height of only 1 1/2 feet to land on its feet. It will land with all feet together helping to spread the impact and therefore reduce the risk of injury.

If the cat falls from any great height it will spread its legs out to slow down it's rate of descent similar to that of a parachute. The only injury that generally happens in these cases is where the cat will fracture its jaw by not being able to stop the impact of its head hitting the ground.