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 Photo by Persian Poet Girl Wikimedia Commons |
Skin/Coat/Nails
Cat skin is thinner that human skin. It's more prone to tears and cuts. However, cat skin is looser and designed to allow a cat to extricate itself from tight corners. Loose skin also helps cat's to avoid deep penetrative wounds as it moves can more easily.
Like human skin, felines have sweat and oil glands located throughout the body. Sweat glands cool the body. In cat anatomy, sweat glands are only located on the paws. So, cats lick their paws and pant to keep cool. Oil glands help keep the coats shiny. Scents secreted from glands also help felines partners for mating.
Cats have three different types of body hairs: long hair (guard), an undercoat, and tactile hairs (whiskers, eyebrows). The thickness and length of the hair depends upon the cat breed and on the season. Seasonal shedding in due to changes in light. That's why warmer months with longer hours of daylight produce more shedding.
Cat claws are similar to human nails. Cat claws have a pink area in the center (the quick) that contains blood vessels to give nutrients to the nail. Felines scratching removes the outer nail called the cuticle.
Respiratory
The feline respiratory system is made up of the nose, trachea, lungs, and diaphragm. Air flows from the mouth (buccal cavity) or nose (nasal cavity) then larynx (voicebox) through the trachea (windpipe) and finally to the lungs. A muscle called the diaphragm helps to move air in and out of the lungs.
A newborn kitten breathes about 15 to 35 breathes per minute; an adult cat takes about 20 to 24 breathes per minute. Compared to humans (12 to 20) cats breathe quite a bit faster.
A cat's buccal cavity contains a unique organ: the Jacobson's organ (vomeronasal). The Jacobson's organ helps cats to detect the smell of chemical hormones called pheromones produced by felines. This is useful during mating season and when marking territory. You may see a cat open its mouth and appear to be grimacing or smiling. This is called the Flehman response. Your cat is just trying to sense odors in the area. Isn't cat anatomy fascinating?!
Digestive
A cat's digestive system starts in its mouth and ends at its anus. Food enters the buccal cavity is carried thorough the esophagus and is stored in the stomach. One average, an adult cat's stomach can hold about 10 oz. of food.
Once in the stomach, food is broken down by stomach acid and digestive enzymes supplied by the gallbladder and pancreas. Food continues to flow from the small intestines. The nutrients from the digested food are absorbed by the small intestines.
The liver has many functions one of which is to filter out toxins from the digested food and prevents them entering the blood stream. Lastly, any excess undigested food leaves the body as waste through the anus.
You might have seen your veterinarian squeeze your cat's abdomen during exams. That's because cats' abdominal organs can be easily felt through palpation. Any major problems (tumors, enlarged organs) can be felt pretty quickly.
Circulatory
The cat circulatory system consists of the heart, blood vessels, and blood. A medium sized cat has only about a cup (8 oz) of of blood circulating in its body!
The heart pumps blood for use throughout the body. Like the human heart, a cat heart has four chambers. Unlike the human heart, an adult cat's heart can beat about 140 to 240 beats per minute. A newborn kitten's heart beats an astounding 200 to 300 beats per minute.
Cats only have three different blood types: A, B, and AB. Most cats are type A.
Lymphatic
The lymphatic system works to help support immune system, filter toxins from the blood, maintain body fluid balance, and return escaped fluids back into the circulatory system. This system includes the spleen, lymph nodes, and lymph vessels.
Neurological
The brain and the spinal cord make up the central nervous system (CNS). The CNS is the command center for all of the body's movements and functions. The brain controls memory, judgment, learning, balance, hormonal regulation, breathing, and many other major activities.
Twelve pairs of nerves called the spinal cord travel from the cat's brain down to its tail. The spinal cord is covered and protected by skeletal bones called vertebrae. The spinal cord directs all nerve impulses from the brain to a cat's vital organs and muscles. Any problems with the central nervous system can mean big problems for the rest of the body.
Urinary
The kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra all make up a cat's urinary system. If you've every smelled cat urine you know how strong and concentrated the odor cat be. That's because cat urine has high levels of uric acid which gives it the ammonia-like smell.
Urine is created by the kidneys. Kidneys help to regulate the bodies fluid balance and eliminate waste. From the kidneys, urine travels through ureters to the bladder. The bladder holds the urine. Urine is then excreted from the body through the urethra.
Musculoskeletal
 Photo of cat anatomy from Wikimedia Commons |
Did you know that the average cat has about 250 bones in its body? I say average because individual cat anatomy varies in terms of the number of bones present. Why? Primarily because of tails. Some cats are born with long tails; others have just stubby little tails. Some cats even have missing clavicle bones which allow them greater flexibility.
Cats are super flexible. Their bodies are designed to move in small spaces. Unlike humans, cats walk on their toes.
Reproductive
The feline reproductive cycle is quite complex. I could devote a whole articles to cat heat cycles, mating, and cat genetics just by themselves. So, I'll keep this cat anatomy lesson simple and obvious. Male cats have testis and penises. And female cats ovaries and vaginas. Of course, cats won't have either ovaries or testicles if they've been spayed or neutered.
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