It appears that experiments on cats in low-gravity situations have been conducted for years:
Quote:
From History.Nasa.gov: Later Subgravity Studies at Holloman, 1954-1958
...
The current pet of subgravity research--at least in the Free World--is the familiar cat, which is of interest for its highly developed vestibular function. It is actually more reliant on this function for balance an orientation than are human beings. The cat is also noted for its reflex ability to land squarely on all fours even after being upside down, and tests were conducted to determine how this righting reflex operates during subgravity. Judging by the test results, it does not work very well. In order to examine the matter more closely, Captain Schock obtained certain cats that had undergone operations removing the vestibular apparatus wholly or partially. When these cats were tested in the same manner, it appeared that animals still having even partial vestibular function were confused. On the other hand, animals wholly deprived of this function and accustomed to do without it remained fully oriented and in possession of normal reflex responses unless their eyes were covered. This last observation confirmed once again the critical importance of visual orientation.
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As someone with a messed up vestibular system, I support research into this area. But the idea of any animal's vestibular system being removed and then put into a low-gravity situation makes me queasy. And given the big differences between human and feline vestibular systems, I wonder how useful this research is.
