Cat Skeleton: Do You Know how it Looks Like?

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Cat Skeleton

Cats are these scurrying characters that always land on their feet, go through impossible holes, and make these amazing stunts. Well, at least most cats do. So you might come to think that there has to be something about a cat skeleton that allows them to perform such amazing feats.

Let´s take a look at a cat skeleton and check how similar they are to ours and those of other mammals.

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General Structure

For a better understanding of the structure of a cat´s skeleton, we will split it into three main parts:

  • The Axial skeleton includes the bones of the spine, ribs, skull, and sternum.
  • The appendicular skeleton is the bones of the limbs.
  • A visceral bone is one that composes or is a part of an organ.

Bones are designed in such a way that they provide support to the body.  Due to the breeding and cross-breeding of cats throughout ages,  the skeletal system of cats may vary among breeds.

Just like with any other mammal, the bones in a cat contain several layers of bone tissue. The most known one being the bone marrow, which is present in certain bones, such as the humerus, femur, ilium, and ribs.

Functions of a Cat Skeleton

It is thanks to their versatile skeleton that cats are able to twist with one part of their body facing the opposite side of the other.   Once again, just like most mammals, the cat skeleton serves several purposes.

  • Support and protection
  • Levers for muscular action
  • Red blood cells factories
  • Storage for calcium and phosphorus

Some Cool Facts

Here are some cool facts about a cat´s skeleton that you probably did not know:

  • A cat has 230 bones.  Humans only have 206.
  • They have no collar bone, which means that a cat can fit through any hole the size of his head.  Well, unless the cat is really chubby.
  • The structure of their bones makes them hard to break.  But they are not indestructible.  Cat bones usually break if they get hit by a car.

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