8/2/2019 Cat's info

1/4

Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: Chordata

Class: MammaliaOrder: CarnivoraFamily: FelidaeGenus: FelisSpecies: F. CatusScientific name: Felis catus

Description:

The cat (Felis catus) is also known as the domestic cat or house

cat. To distinguish it from other felines and felids, it is a smallfurry domesticated carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for itscompanionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests.Cats have been associated with humans for at least 9,500 years, and arecurrently the most popular pet in the world. Owing to their closeassociation with humans, cats are now found almost everywhere onEarth.

Cats are posses with flexible bodies, quick reflexes, sharpretractable claws, and teeth adapted to killing small prey.As nocturnal predators, cats use their acute hearing and ability to see innear darkness to locate prey. Not only can cats hear sounds too faint for

human ears, they can also hear sounds higher in frequency thanhumans can perceive. The current population of cats nowadays is morethan 560million worldwide.

Integumentary system

8/2/2019 Cat's info

2/4

A cat's integumentary system serves many crucial functions. Itinsulates and cools the body to maintain a constant body temperature.This system creates a barrier to protect internal structures fromdamage. .Cats fur efficiently regulates body temperature and helps thecat to blend into its surroundings. Cats actually have two coats of fur: a

short, inner coat that insulates and a longer, outer coat that keeps thecat dry.A cat's claws are its tools during the hunt. Most of the time, theclaws remain retracted, meaning they are not visible since the cat canenvelop them with skin and fur. Cats keep their claws sharp byretracting them when not in use and by occasionally filing them oncoarse objects such as the bark of a tree.A cat's whiskers serve asurprising variety of functions. Whiskers help the cat gauge the distancebetween two objects before deciding to squeeze between them. Thesefacial hairs also can detect small disturbances in the air. Cats navigatemore freely in the dark with the aid of their whiskers. Cats do not sweatthrough their skin. They only sweat from their footpads and nose. They

lose water by panting rather than sweating.

Mascular system

The muscular system of cat is composed of tissues that have thepower to move and contract. Muscle accounts for about half of cats'weight, attached to bones, other muscles and skin. Cat also have 3types of muscles like other mammals; striated, cardiac, smooth.Voluntary muscles of cat are usually attached to the bones that form ajoint. Thats why cats have a faster heart beat rate because cats havemore than 500 voluntary muscles to be oxygenated. Cat has very agile

and swift movements due to his specific sense of balance. This alsoenables him to land precisely where he aims to land without anyproblem. He also has a way to stretch his body down as far as possiblebefore pushing off, when he is jumping down in order to reduce thedistance and the shock of his landing. Powerful hind legs allow your catto leap up to five times her own height. He uses his tail for balance whilethe dominant muscles combined with small muscles and tendons alongthe tail's length enable your cat to move it. Voluntary muscles, such asthose found in the arms and legs, can only contract and pull, needing towork together to flex and extend. In controlling the limbs, musclesattach to the bones so they can work as levers. The flexor muscles

protect the joints, helping them to pick up the limb or bend. A highintake of oxygen in the muscular system is necessary in order to endurerunning and other performance.

Digestive system

Chewing and salivating begins the process of breaking down food.As the cat swallows, the food enters the esophagus, a small tube that

8/2/2019 Cat's info

3/4

connects the mouth to the stomach. Muscles line the esophagus. Thesemuscles contract and force the food into the stomach. The catsstomach is a holding tank for recently ingested food. Hydrochloric acidand enzymes break down the food while its sits in the stomach. Thestomach lining releases mucous that serves to protect the wall of the

stomach from the acid. The cats liver also prevents poisoning byremoving toxins or reducing them into benign or less toxic substances.The liver converts dietary fat and old red blood cells into bile andcholesterol. The gall bladder's bile ducts and the pancreatic ductsdistribute bile and enzymes to the cat's small intestine. Together, theydigest protein, carbohydrates and fat.

A cat's small intestine is approximately 4 feet long and is shorterthan most mammals. However, it contains long villi to enhanceabsorption of nutrients. Villi are small projections in the intestinal tractthat interact with and absorb food. There is no peristaltic activity in a

cat's intestinal tract. The digested food enters the large intestine oncethe nutrients are absorbed.

The large intestine holds fecal matter and transports it to theanus for elimination. Additionally, the feline large intestine serves thepurpose of extracting water from the feces and maintaining thehydration levels of the entire body.

Skeletal system

The skeletal system of a cat consists of bones and joints that are very

similar to humans, with a few differences. In cats, just like humans,bones act as a storage site for fat and minerals like calcium andphosphorus, and as a production site for red blood cells. A kitten is bornwith all the bones and joints, ligaments and tendons (tissues thatconnect bone to bone or muscle) that it will ever have in its life. Thecat's skeleton has an average of 250 bones total. There are two maindifferences between the skeleton of a cat and a human. The cat hasmore vertebrae that make up the spine or backbone, mainly because ofthe presence of a tail. Also, the vertebrae are not as closely connectedto each other, allowing the cat greater flexibility to arch its back andsqueeze into tight places. In addition, the cat's skeleton does not include

a clavicle, or collarbone, which would broaden the cat's chest. Cats aredigitigrade animal, meaning they do not walk on a foot like humans.Cats walk on paws consisting of four digits similar to human fingers, andconsist of a row of two or three bones called phalanges to form toes. Thecat's dewclaw, the non-weight bearing claw higher up on the foot, issimilar to our thumb.

8/2/2019 Cat's info

4/4

Respiratory system

The cat's respiratory system serves two purposes. First, it is theexchange mechanism by which the body's carbon dioxide is replacedwith oxygen. It is also a unique cooling system. Since cats do not have

sweat glands (except on their feet), they cannot perspire to lower theirbody's temperature like humans do. To cool their body they mustbreathe harder (pant). By breathing faster, warm air is exchanged fromthe body for the cooler outside air. Additionally, moisture within therespiratory system evaporates, further cooling these surfaces.Therefore, the lungs function both to exchange carbon dioxide foroxygen and to cool the body.

Urogenital system

The urogenital system of cat includes the kidneys, ureters, urinarybladder, urethra and genital organs of both sexes. The urinary system isresponsible for removing waste products from blood and eliminatingthem as urine. The genital organs are involved in reproduction. Cats andother mammals have the same functions of urogenital system but inreproduction, cat is different. It is because of zonary placenta; aplacenta in which the chorionic villi are restricted to an equatorial girdle,as in the bitch and queen. Cats and dogs have this placenta.

By:

Herminio C. Faustino Jr.