Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 16
The Cardiovascular System
The cardiovascular system in a cat is comprised of blood, blood vessels
and the heart. All three components work in harmony to supply oxy-
gen and nutrients throughout the body and remove carbon dioxide and
metabolic waste products.
A heart is an amazing organ that will continuously pump through-
out the entire lifetime of an animal.This adds up to more than 350 mil-
lion beats for a 13-year-old cat!Yet this powerful organ weighs less than
one-third of an ounce in an average cat.
Heart disease is a common problem in humans, but fortunately cats
do not develop arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), the leading
cause of heart attack in humans. However, cats can develop hyperten-
sion and other cardiovascular diseases.
HOW THE HEART AND THE CIRCULATORY
SYSTEM WORK
Blood leaves the heart through arteries and returns to the heart through
veins. Arteries and veins channel into smaller and smaller blood vessels
that meet at capillaries. Blood leaving the heart is full of oxygen that is
sent out to nourish the body's cells. Blood returning to the heart is full
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