system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Do big cats (tigers, lions, etc.) have the same self righting reflex as domestic cats? If not... when did the self righting reflex first emerge?
gpt
Not all cats, even the domesticated ones, land on their feet all the time, sometimes they get it wrong and land wrong. 

When they do land on their feet, it is because of the vestibular apparatus (a fluid filled organ in the ear) and the flexibility of their spine. 

All cats have the vestibular apparatus, and have a flexible spine compared to other animals. So, in general, a big cat could/would probably land on its feet. 

Size must be taken into account also, however. Since house cats are small, they are able to right themselves quicker during a short fall then a larger animal. 

Larger cats require more time to twist their body into the proper form, and so if a big cat fell from a low height, it would probably not land on its feet. Again, this depends on the orientation of the cat when it started falling. 

Also, the larger big cats get, the less flexible. 

More agile cats like leopards, cougars, and jaguars are very flexible and much lighter than tigers and lions, so they would be more likely to land on their feet. 

Lions and tigers, which can weigh 700 lbs, would have a harder time correcting their balance in midair. Lions are especially notorious for their lack of grace when climbing, and subsequently their lack of grace when falling. 

There are documentaries where a lioness tried to climb a tree, slipped, and fell to her death. So basically, whether or not a big cat lands on its feet depends on the cat's size and height of the fall.