Pregnant Cat!

We were fairly certain that one of cats was pregnant, but we were stunned to find out it wasn't the one we expected. Keith and Wesley were curious about what appeared to be their cat's very large colon. Upon further inspection they deduced that these were the greatly enlarged uterine horns with four fetuses growing inside!

Next, began the process of opening the uterine horns.

We found out the lumps inside were mainly composed of placenta. A little internet research let us know that feline placentas are a little different than human placentas. The feline placenta surrounds the whole embryo and helps it anchor the embryo in its position in the uterine tube.

Below, the embryo is exposed, but is still inside its amniotic sac. Our research indicated that the mother was probably 2-3 weeks into an 8.5 week pregnancy. Compare this picture to an ontogeny diagram like the one Ernst Haekel created (fraudulently...but your going to have to do your own Google search for that story).

In the final photo the placenta and sac have been removed from the embryo. We have identified where the eye is forming under the skin.

Whaddya mean, I gotta learn all this stuff?

It can't be all fun and games. During class we do have to identify the structures we are dissecting and try to remember their locations. Often the diagrams in the packet, the book and the cat in front of us don't match up.

After nearly a week working on the muscular system we finally cut in to the abdominal cavity of our cats. The liver, stomach, small and large intestines were readily visible. Hidden or more difficult to find a this point are the reproductive organs and the urinary system.

After removing the intestines we exposed the kidneys. They are pushed up against the back muscles.

JP holds a kidney he and Titus just removed from their cat.

Here is the same kidney bisected.

And, in what has become part of the daily ritual with our cats, DeMarco sprays his cat with Carosafe. We use the preservative mainly to keep the cats from drying out. The muscles start to get sinewy after being exposed to the air for this long. Additionally, it helps prevent any rot or mold from happening.