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Cat Anatomy Heart and Lungs
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Cats have typical mammalian respiratory and circulatory systems. The air they take in through the mouth and nostrils travels down the windpipe (trachea) to the lungs.
Encased in the protective rib cage and separated from the abdomen by the diaphragm, the heart and lungs then work together to circulate oxygen, via the blood, throughout the body.
Conducted along an intricate system of arteries and veins, blood distributes oxygen, nutrients, and disease-fighting agents and takes up carbon dioxide and other waste products.
When the blood makes its way back to the lungs, the blood vessels of the circulatory system and the branches of the respiratory system (called bronchi and bronchioles) make a vital exchange of newly inhaled oxygen for carbon dioxide to be exhaled.
The feline heart is well adapted to a predatory lifestyle, capable of accelerating from a resting heart rate of about 150 beats per minute to more than 240 beats per minute (four beats per second) to provide the circulation needed for sud¬den bursts of speed.
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