Feline Anatomy Picture

Click on the picture to see it in a new window

Feline anatomy

Cats have an amazing supple bony framework which gives them an uncanny litheness. The skeleton, comprising approximately 234 bones, is remarkable pliable. The hind legs can produce a leap of up to six feet or more; the forelegs can apparently twist in any direction.

The head can be swiveled round rapidly and fully either way, and the spine has a mobility far greater than in any other domestic animal. One only has to watch the sneaking movements of the cat’s tail to fully appreciate the tractility of its vertebrae.

A cat’s bones are very similar to those of humans (including two collar bones). They are linked together by approximately the same number of muscles as our own, that is, over 500, but many of the cat’s muscles are more powerfully developed than in humans, especially in the hind quarters and neck.

Hence the cat’s powerful spring and its ability to strike rapidly and decisively at its prey. Feline anatomy includes a comparatively small chest, with the contents – the heart and lungs – correspondingly reduced in size. Because of this it tires more easily than a dog, exhibiting bursts of terrific energy followed by long periods of rest.

The abdomen, however, is roomy enough to allow for gorging and fasting as most carnivores have to do in the wild state.

Heart and Lungs anatomy
Read information and look at cat anatomy pictures.

Heart and Blood Vessels
See pictures of cats’ heart and blood vessels systems. Learn how they function.

Cat’s Muscles
Cats have fast-acting, flexible muscles which ensure them graceful movements.

Bones and Joints
The cat skeleton evolved for a lifestyle of speed and agility.

Return from Feline Anatomy to Home page