Concerning Cat Stomachs.
Cat stomach (photo credit, Drs. Foster & Smith)
Now it is time to focus on a carnivore’s stomach. Namely, the cat stomach. Obviously, a carnivore’s stomach is different then say, a goat or horse stomach. The esophagus transports food to the stomach where it enters a valve-like structure titled the cardiac sphincter. From there, it enters the stomach. A cat’s stomach is a sac-like structure designed to store large amounts of food and continue the digestive process. Cats usually swallow large lumps of food, rarely chewing for very long. So meat and bones make their way to the stomach and are ground up there. The interior of the stomach is made up of a series of folds called “gastric folds”. Their function is to grind the food into small pieces and digest it. The inner stomach lining also secretes acids and enzymes to break down food. Once the initial stomach digestive process is complete, the partially digested food exits the stomach through the pyloric sphincter area and then enters the duodenum. Once eaten, most food leaves the stomach within twelve hours after entering. The cat stomach was designed very well for what it is meant to do, although, modern cats that are fed cat food out of containers may need some supplementing. What is better for my cat? You may ask, wet food or dry food? Well, this is sort of a trick question because truthfully, (depending on the quality) the most ideal diet is a mixture of both. You see, wet food is usually more nutritious, although if a cat never chews anything other than soft food their teeth can get weak. Hearts and brains are the best things you can supplement into your cat’s diet. As they contain the taurine cats need to thwart health problems and death. Egg yolks are also a good idea as they are nutritious and good for your cat’s fur. Conclusively, cats are carnivores and need lots of protein and saturated fats as well as access to greenery such as cat grass or catnip for other nutrients. Assuredly, if you give your cat this diet, it will live long and prosper.
To see what the cat stomach looks like and some more anatomy, watch my video at http://youtu.be/y9-M99e4l0I
Vet In Training 