cat anatomy!

an overview of the general anatomy of cats!

      on this page, i will be breaking down cats' body systems, including the renal, nervous, musculo-skeletal system, respiratory, and more!

      a brief note: some of these will be very similar to the dog’s anatomy, as a few of their functions are quite alike!

the musculo-skeletal system:

• there are over 300 bones, 300 joints, and 600 muscles in a cat's musculo-skeletal system. the bones are made up of calcium.
• there are three types of muscles: the skeletal muscle, smooth muscle, and cardiac muscle.
• smooth muscle — controls blood flow, iris dilation and constriction, digestion, and urination.
• cardiac muscle — helps pump blood through the body, a heart muscle.
• skeletal muscle — assists with a cat’s movement and posture
• joints include cartilage, ligaments, and tendons, and they connect bones together and allow for mobility.
• cartilage — protective covering over bones that prevents them being worn down by friction.
• ligaments — connective tissue that attaches bones to muscles.
• tendons — a different type of connective tissue that links bones to joints and offers support.
• this system’s functions are to provide for movement, heat (generated through movement), immunity against infectious diseases, and support.

the cardiovascular system:

• also known as the circulatory system, the main functions of a cat’s cardiovascular system are to circulate blood through their bodies, transport hormones and chemicals, remove waste from the bloodstream, and deliver oxygen and nutrients.
• contains the heart, blood, and blood vessels.
  • a cat’s heart is located between their left and right lungs, in the pericardial sac within their chest.
  • different types of blood vessels are veins, capillaries, and arteries.
  • veins — thin blood vessels that carry blood from the parts of the body back to the heart. they contain valves, which stop blood from flowing back to the organs.
  • arteries — these are the strongest and largest blood vessels. they carry oxygen rich blood away from the heart to other parts of the body.
  • capillaries: even smaller than the veins, these often have the capability to only allow a few red blood cells to pass through the center of the capillary at a time. they can allow nutrients, oxygen, water, carbon dioxide, etc to travel between tissues and blood.

the nervous system:

• a cat’s nervous system is very similar to a dog’s, with center and peripheral areas of the system.
• the peripheral connects the spinal cord and brain to other parts of the body and organs through nerves.
• the central consists of the brain and spinal cord..
• the spinal cord is a thin line of nervous tissue that connects from the brain to the tail. is composed of cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacral, and caudal segments.
• the brain has three parts, cerebrum, cerebellum, and brain stem..
• brain stem: controls vital life functions such as breathing and a cat’s heart rate.
• cerebrum: the part of a cat’s brain that controls memory, decision making, and learning
• cerebellum: controls balance, movement, and motor control
• the nervous system is also split into the somatic and autonomic nervous systems.
• the somatic nervous system controls the actions a cat decides to do itself, such as movement.
• the autonomic nervous system controls all unconscious signals sent throughout the body, such as signals to organs.

the respiratory system:

• its main function is to bring oxygen into the body and carry carbon dioxide out.
• it also facilitates purring, the sense of smell, and meowing.
• is made up of the upper and lower airways.
  • the upper respiratory warms, moisturizes, and filters air.
  • the lower respiratory is the lungs, which bring oxygen into the bloodstream and take carbon dioxide out.
• contains the lungs, larynx, nose, nasopharynx, trachea, pharynx, and nasal passages.

the digestive system:

• made up of the mouth, small intestine, stomach, large intestine, teeth, esophagus, tongue, pancreas, salivary glands, liver, and gall bladder.
• cats have 30 adult, permanent teeth, and they fall within three categories: premolars, molars, and incisors..
• the premolars and molars are made for crushing, chewing, and grinding food.
• the incisors are sharp in order to tear into food.
• the main functions of the digestive system are to digest food, obtain nutrients from food, and get rid of waste.

the renal system:

• the main functions of the renal(urinary) system in cats are to excrete all waste from food being transformed into energy, process vitamin d, balance electrolytes and water in cells, and produce renin and erythropoietin.
• the organs in this system contain the kidneys, urethra, ureters, and bladder.
• kidneys — control blood pressure, filter waste from blood, balance electrolytes and water, and help with red blood cell production.
• urethra — a tube that transports urine/waste from the bladder to outside of a cat’s body.
• ureters — two tubes that connect the bladder to kidneys.
• bladder — stores urine.

(all images are not mine, the rights go their original creators!)