Cat Nourishment - Cat Alimentation
Digestive anatomy of the cat
Mouth: The mouth is the portion of the digestive apparatus of the cat and its function is to press and chew food. Inside the mouth there is the tongue that presents some little nubs on the surface that are responsible for taste, denominated tasting papilla. There mouth has teeth, which are divided in temporary and permanent. They are replaced progressively depending on their form and position, it could be an incisive, canine, premolar or molar tooth.
Pharynx: The pharynx belongs to the digestive and respiratory tract. Its rostrum part joins the mouth and its volume continues through the esophagus.
Esophagus: It is a relatively wide and expansible tube, that connects the mouth with the stomach. On its route it goes through the neck region, it penetrates in the thoracic region and then goes to the abdominal cavity, where it joins with the stomach through a sphincter called cardias.
The food takes approximately 5 seconds to go from the mouth to the stomach. The esophagus walls move and contract in a way that they push the food into the stomach.
Stomach: Cats stomach has a pear form structure and its function is to store and begin the digestive process of food. It has, as in other mono-gastric species, a major or external curvature 3 or 4 times bigger than the minor or internal curvature.
The internal surface of the stomach counts with some small sheets that help grind the food eaten by the cat, witch makes digestion easier. Food enters the stomach through the cardias, which is digested by the action of the acids and enzymes. At the beginning and after being partially digested, it goes into the thin intestine. After most of the food has been processed, it takes an average of twelve hours to leave the stomach.
Small intestine: It has a tubular structure and it extends through the stomach and the large intestine, and occupies most of the abdominal cavity. It divides in the duodenum, the second part of the intestine and the ileum, it gathers all the necessary conditions for a perfect lockout of the food substances.
Large intestine: Divides the blind, colon and the rectum. This is where the digestive process that is not concluded, continues.
Intestinal excretion formed in the large intestine is due to all the water absorption by intestinal contents that are eliminated through the rectum.
