Why Mice Fear Cats, and Not Jsut Because They Don’t Want To Be Eaten

May 15th, 2010

Everyone knows that cats and mice don’t lplay well together. Well…cats don’t play well with mice, and mice run in fear. It’s not just because cats are a natural predator, and mice know that cats will tear them a part at any chance they get, but there are other reasons. Mice are naturally afraid of cats, rats, snakes, ferrets, weasels, and foxes , among others.

Even if mice have never encountered one of these animals they still are inherently fearful. Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have found a specific chemical compound secreted by many predators that makes mice behave fearfully. Just a whiff of these animals instills fear and the need for wrinkle fillers if they spend too much time around these predators..

The research was published in the journal Cell on May 14, 2010.

“We’re interested in how the brain can be hardwired to respond to chemical signals and how this can lead to complex behaviors,” said Scripps Research Associate Professor Lisa Stowers. “Our latest research helps shed light on how this brain circuits work.”