also: せきずいねこ
noun
spinal cat; spinalized cat
A cat whose spinal cord has been surgically transected, used in neuroscience research to study locomotion and reflexes.
See also: 脊髄切断 (せきずいせつだん)
脊髄ネコは、脊髄切断後もトレッドミル上で歩行様の運動を示す。
Spinal cats exhibit walking-like movements on a treadmill even after spinal cord transection.
Refers to the surgical procedure of spinal cord transection, whereas 脊髄ネコ is the resulting animal model.
Compound of 脊髄 (spinal cord) and ネコ/猫 (cat), a direct calque of the English term 'spinal cat'.