How can I tell if my cat is injured from a fall?

My Turkish Angora loves to sit on a high shelf about 7 feet in the air. When gettin down he usually jumps from the shelf to the table to the floor; the table is pretty close to the halfway point from the shelf to the ground. He saw something (a bug or insect) running across the floor and jumped down in a hurry. He over jumped the table and missed so he jumped the full 7 feet from the shelf to the floor. He landed on his feet but he landed pretty hard. He's back to playing so I don't think he's hurt. I felt him over pressing on his legs and hips and back a bit to test his reaction. He didn't meow or cry out so I don't think anything is broken. Is he most likely fine or should I check him over again? How do I check for sprains or pulled muscles? Overall, I think he's okay. 7 feet isn't that high a jump for a cat I don't think and he landed on his feet. I'm just a little worried because Turkish Angoras (the ones in the US not native ones) are so fine boned. Is he most likely fine? What sins should I look for that might mean he is hurt and that I need to take him to the vet?

Hello iheartlife,

Since you mentioned that your kitty is back to playing after that fall and she did not squirm or cry in pain while you touch her as you mentioned, she should be ok.

Do you see her limping while walking and is her play, run, walk and climbing normal?

Cats usually will be able to land on their fours when they fall from a height, unless they are the real clumsy cats.

Just observe her for awhile and see if there are any abnormalities in her gait. If you don't notice anything different, she should be alright. But if you are worried, always bring her to the vet for piece of mind

When I last took my cat, Dudley, to the vet they said he had an injury to his front paw.  This revelation took me by surprise     He has a tree, which he must have fallen 6ish feet from, this is the only thing that could have caused the injury.  He does roll about up there, playing with the fairies.  He's grown ever so big and I don't think he realises just how big he is in relation to how small the platform has shrunk, and how far the fall.  I've been with him 99% of his life and I've never heard a loud thud, which he'd definitely make on impact.  But, the vet said it was ok, that he's not limping (too much! I can't actually see a limp at all under all his fluff), and it would get better.  Just to watch out for any further accident hotspots.

So, I agree with @TabbyTom  not to worry.  If Dudley can sustain a mystery paw injury, which a vet instantly recognised, but still bound up & down his tree, and thunder up & down the corridor, then I think your boy will be ok until your next routine vet visit.  But do take him in if he begins limping or goes off his food.  

He fell a second time tonight, this time trying to jump into a different shelf and missing. This shelf was about 4-5 feet in the air, but he hit a few things on the way down. I know he hit them because they were knocked over right after I heard the crashing sound, but I didn't see if he landed on his feet or not. I saw him jump, turned away, heard a crashing sound, turned back around, and then saw him walking away and the stuff on the ground. For the first hour or so after the crash I thought I saw him walking with a slight limp on his back left leg, but now that's all but gone. He's either hiding it very well or its feeling better. However he is breathing somewhat faster than normal (no panting, just more shallow and a little more frequent breathing) and not wanting to move around as much. He's usually very playful, running around and jumping and chasing the other cat playfully. But now he's mostly just walking from place to place and only jumping if he wants to be in a different place. But I'm not sure if this is because he's hot or in pain. His bed is right next to the fireplace and the fire got over-stoked with wood so it's exceptionally hot and he has got up and left the room and laid down in against the cold window in the windowsill (which he did end up jumping into with ease). He's walking around without the limp and jumping when needing to but not playing or running around as much as he normally would. He has eaten three different times from his bowl and gotten water twice this evening so he's eating and drinking normally and he's gone to the bathroom twice since it happened. I'm not sure if he's breathing fast and moving less because he's in pain from the fall (since he's not limping anymore, but is now breathing a little faster than normal and moving less than normal for him) or because hes overheated. Thoughts? Does it sound more like a pain response or a response to the heat from the fireplace? Should I take him to the vet first thing in the morning or just keep an eye on him?

He might be embarrassed, cats get terribly embarrassed   

Maybe think about building stepping stones up to all the shelves he jumps up onto.  It sounds as if he's a jumper  

However, if you can afford it, I'd take him to the vet first thing, as his well-being is clearly on your mind.  And you know your cat better than anyone.  Cats do mask pain and he might have caused an injury that needs treatment.  It might be an idea to photograph your living room shelves, so the vet can see the distances and advise on the stepping stone idea.

If you can't afford it, just keep a very close eye on him, and make sure there is nowhere else he can mistime his leaps from in future.  Phone the vet and explain the situation.

Please keep us updated.  And, please post a photo and tell us his name   

Getting a cat tree with different levels that are easy to jump up and down from is probably a good idea too.  

Most likely he's in a shock after the fall and not exactly like what Brian007 said. It should be a temporary thing that he keeps to himself. It's good that he's eating, drinking and using the litter box.

Just observe him and he should be back to his normal self.

Brian007 has a good suggestion, a cat tree. If not, have your furniture and shelves placed in step form so that your kitty can climb up and down more easily. Moreover, a cat can't sense the stability of the shelves till he jumps on it. But it could also be that your kitty is a little clumsy or perception of height and distance is not that good.

My boy is like that. He is not very circumspect. Sometimes he wants to jump from a cupboard to another or a table to a chest, he takes awhile before jumping. And there was once he miscalculated the distance from one cupboard top to the other, he missed and hit his neck on the edge of the cupboard and fell to the ground and he was in a shock for awhile. So I quickly check on him and he looks ok.

So you just observe whether he looks abnormal or not. If yes, obvious reason is bring him to the vet.