Abstract: On the basis of analysis of the fluid drag acting on a suspended cable subjected to transverse fluid excitation, an expression is established for the fluid forces applied on the cable. By using a coordinate transform, the equations of motion of the cable are simplified into those in terms of the stretch and rotation coordinates. In the case of small ratio of sag-to-span, a study is made on the fluid-induced vibration behavior of the cable, including the critical fluid flow speed, the stability of equilibrium position, as well as the influences of gravitational parameter on the cable dynamics.