Who's afraid of the big bad cat? Not this mouse, that's for sure.
With the help of Japanese scientist this mouse got her genes "improved" so that she can't smell cats. Her instinct tells her to play dead if she smells a cat, but now she just plays with the cat like any other hairball.
Implications - Domesticated house pets are a fixture in nearly every home; unfortunately, these animals still have an innate prey drive. Researchers are exploring ways to thwart this prey drive through science to create "hacked" animals that look and behave just as their owners prefer. Hypoallergenic dog breeds and cats that don't chase mice are some of the many manifestations of this theme.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Prey-drive Hacking
- The development of hacked animals that satisfy owners preferences towards their pets' innate prey drives is an opportunity for researchers.
- Gene-editing Animals
- The development of mutated mice with modified genes to eliminate their predator avoidance behavior creates new opportunities for science.
- Feline Socialization
- Allowing mutated mice to play with cats paves the way for better understanding of feline behavior and potential socialization opportunities for small mammals.
Where This Applies
- Pet Care
- The pet care industry can explore the creation of new breeds of hypoallergenic cats and dogs with altered predatory behaviors.
- Genetics
- Gene-editing companies working in the field of animal genetics can capitalize on opportunities presented by the development of genetically-altered animals that display unique behaviors.
- Animal Behavior Research
- The animal behavior research industry can expand upon their understanding of feline behavior and use it for socializing other small mammals with cats.
