Development of the air righting reflex in cats visually deprived since birth.

Classical experiments on the ability of cats to turn in the air during a free fall, the air righting reflex, have shown that vestibular and visual cues can play a role in this behavior. The development of this air righting reflex in kittens blinded since birth has been studied. The results show that the development in the blinded kittens is the same as in normal kittens with vision: mature by 33 days. This result and the comparison with other studies confirm that the air righting reflex is primarily a vestibular controlled reaction.