Cat Dissection 4: Digestive System (50 structures)
Read and follow all written and verbal instructions!
NAME_______________________PER_____
Instructions:
 Use Photo Manual and Dissection Guide of the Cat pp. 72-87 & your A&P lab manual to help with dissection
and answering the questions.
 Carefully remove the skin on ONE SIDE of the head overlying cheek, throat, and side of the neck below the
pinna. Be careful! Identify:
parotid gland
masseter muscle
parotid duct
 With your scissors, cut through the muscles at both corners of the mouth in a posterior direction.
Then use a bone clipper to cut through the angles of the jaw. Locate the following:
Tongue
Epiglottis
Filiform papillae
Glottis
Hard palate
Trachea
Palatine rugae
Esophagus
Soft palate
 Use your scissors to cut through the abdominal muscles and expose the abdominal cavity below. You
may need to wash out the abdominal cavity by rinsing it out gently. Work over the sink and use
paper towels to soak up the water. Identify:
Diaphragm
Villi
Liver lobes: R lateral, R medial, L
Mesentery
lateral, L medial, caudate
Large intestine: caecum, ascending
Gall bladder
colon, transverse colon, descending
Greater omentum
colon, rectum, anus
Lesser omentum
Pancreas
Stomach parts: cardiac, fundus,
Spleen
body, pyloric
Kidney
Rugae
Adrenal gland
Small intestine: duodenum,
Urinary bladder
jejunum, ileum
Questions:
1. Name the 5 salivary glands. What is their function?
2. What is the function of the epiglottis?
3. What is chyme?
4. What is the function of bile? What organ makes it? What structure stores it?
5. In cats, the tooth ratio is 3 incisors: 1 canine: 3 premolars: 1 molar. How does this compare to
humans?
6. In what ways do the cat’s teeth seem to be adapted to a special diet?
7. Describe the inner lining of the stomach/
8. What feature of the human caecum is missing in the cat?
Labeling:
digastric muscle, external jugular vein, masseter, parotid duct, parotid gland, sublingual gland,
submandibular gland
mesentery, small intestine, gallbladder, kidney, urinary bladder, parietal peritoneum, R medial lobe of liver,
pancreas, L lateral lobe of liver, esophagus, body, stomach, transverse colon, lesser omentum, diaphragm,
rectum, descending colon, duodenum, cardiac, L medial lobe of liver, fundus, pylorus, spleen, R lateral lobe
of liver