Urinary System Structures in the Cat
Your pet’s urinary system is the main waste-disposal plant. The paired kidneys clean and filter the blood continuously as it passes through them. They help regulate the amount of salt, potassium, and water needed in the body. The excess is passed on with the waste products of metabolism through two tiny tubes axletrees to the storage tank, the bladder. When your pet’s bladder fills wills enough urine, a signal is sent to the brain for your pet to head for the litter box or ask to be let out. The urine exits to the outside by a thin tube called the urethra, locate in the vagina of the female and the penis of the male.
The one important time for you to examine your pet’s urinary system at home is if your cat is straining to urinate or has blood in the urine. A large bladder accompanied by frequent attempts to urinate is a very serious problem. The bladder is located in the posterior abdomen between the rear legs. Using Verne pressure, with your left hand on the left posterior abdomen and your right hand on the right posterior abdomen, you may feel firm. a round ball that varies in size from a Ping-Pong ball to an orange. During your next visit, you should ask your veterinarian to show you how to palpate the bladder.
The sperm factories of your male cat are the testes. There should be two testes located within paired sacs called the scrotum. The testicles should be present in the scrotum at birth. If only one testicle is present, your pet is called monarchic; if neither testicle is in the scrotum, your pet is a crypt orchid. This condition is hereditary and may be the source of a tumor in later life. Pick up your male cat’s tail. The scrotum with the paired testicles is located about one-half inch below the anus. They’re very sensitive, so handle them gently. The two are generally the same size and shape as the normal male cat. A small lump may be felt on the back end of both testes. This is tepidity, a storehouse for the sperm.
When your male cat ejaculates, millions of sperm (enough to repopulate the whole world) travel through the vas de(ere ns to the urethra, where a very special fluid from the bulbous glands mixes with the sperm. This special fluid contains proteins, fats, sugars, and enzymes to nourish and protect the fragile sperm on their hazardous journey out of the penis and up the female’s reproductive system to meet the egg.
The penis and vagina serve both the urinary and reproductive systems. Your male cat’s penis can be examined, but first, you must find it. It lies within a fold of skin called the prepuce, or sheath, located just below the scrotum. Push forward on the prepuce and out pops a pink penis with small barbs, or papillae, on the tip. These papillae are thought to stimulate the female and initiate ovulation. They are probably responsible for the ear-piercing howls of the female during mating and for her swat at the male when mating ends.
The only readily visible portions of the female cat’s reproductive system are the soft, pliable labia (lips of the vulva) that form a vertical slit a few inches below the anus. By gently separating the lips, you can see the pink vestibule of the vagina. Urine exits through the urethral orifice located inside the vestibule.
Again, the internal parts of the female cat’s reproductive system are the same as in the human: ovaries, fallopian tubes (or oviducts), uterus, cervix, and vagina. The paired ovaries produce eggs and female hormones. The eggs are delivered to the AL-wailed uterus through the small, coiled fallopian tubes. After ejaculation, tadpole-like microscopic sperm, their tails whipping furiously, must long distance (equivalent to humans swimming about thirty miles), up and through the opening of the muscular cervix. Once in the uterus, the-nay or may not make contact with the eggs waiting there.
See more: Transporting an Injured Cat
