Digestive System Overview:
The Digestive System does the dirty work in the cat, taking in the kibble indulged and processing it. The Digestive System is forced with the task of sorting out nutrients from waste, and breaking down that nutrients to a usable level for the cells. There are many organs in the digestive system, stretching from the mouth of the cat to the anus. First is the Mouth, then the Pharynx again, which aids the food to the Esophagus, where it then travels to the Stomach and begins the process of digestion. While in the Stomach, any toxins are worked on by the Liver and salts and other liquids travel to the Kidneys. The Gallbladder is tasked with producing any needed bile. While the worked on food continues to travel through the Intestines, more digestive enzymes are released upon it from the Pancreas. The waste travels through the Small Intestines, then through the Large, the Colon, and Rectum and is passed through the Anus.
General Organs:
In the body:
1: Pharynx; Differs food to Esophagus
2: Larynx; Houses the Esophagus 3: Esophagus; Carry saliva, food, and liquid to Stomach 4: Gallbladder; Store and ship bile to liver 5: Liver; Detoxify and metabolize drugs/alcohol, secrete bile, and produce proteins imperative to blood clotting (similar to spleen) |
6: Stomach; Break down food and liquid to extract essential nutrients, and send partially digested foods to the Intestines
7: Pancreas (Probe tip in last picture); To secrete digestive enzymes into the Small Intestine 8: Small Intestine; Further break down food, and absorb as much nutrients and minerals as possible 9: Large Intestine; Absorb water from almost completely digested food, and excrete waste |
What We Learned:
Through our dissection of the cats digestive system, we learned a lot about our own digestive system. We were aware as to what the Pharynx and the Larynx were, but we really didn't know what their functions were. It was really interesting to open up the ventral cavities of the cat, and observe the placements of the organs and how they are connected. One of the biggest surprises to us was the visceral fat that we first saw when we opened the abdomen. When we initially saw it, we thought it was the small intestines because we had never really seen the inside of a living being so to speak. Another thing that was interesting to us was the texture of the organs. It was interesting to feel something tubular like the intestines, then to feel the firm, tough structure of the Liver, and then to go to the Stomach, and observe how it felt deflated. The digestive system was extremely intriguing to us, as it allowed us to track the food we eat in our own bodies.