Graceful and flexible, great hunters, gentle pets - all these are cats, the very perfection created by nature. Their physical abilities are amazing - cats have no equal in jumping, in the ability to balance and the ability to crawl through narrow holes. Such mobility is explained by the structure of the cat's body, its anatomical features. The skeleton of a cat has 40 more bones than a human. Most of the bones of a cat are connected to each other with cartilage, which ensures their mobility.
The structure of the cat's skeleton
Cats have a very flexible and mobile spine. The skeleton of cats has 7 cervical vertebrae, 13 thoracic, 7 lumbar, 3 sacral and caudal vertebrae, the number of which varies depending on the breed. The cervical vertebrae have a specific structure that allows the cat to turn its head 180 degrees. Nine pairs of ribs are connected to the sternum by cartilage, and four pairs of ribs are free. The front paws of cats do not have a strong connection with the skeleton, since their clavicles are very small bones that are unable to bear the load. The connective tissue and muscles covering the bones of the forelimbs take on this function. Due to this structure of the forelimbs,cats are able to compress their bodies to get through narrow openings. It also helps to group the body during landing from a great height, as if "springing" with the front paws and not injuring the bones of the limbs.
Since the skeleton of cats has a narrow chest, when walking, cats put their paws in almost the same line. This gives them a huge advantage - few animals are capable of being tightrope walkers, and cats can easily walk on narrow surfaces. The pelvic bones of a cat are more developed than the pectorals, as they bear more load. This explains the ability to jump high from a place and obtain explosive speed. After all, a cat can jump to a height exceeding 5 times its height. They have 4 toes on their hind limbs and 5 toes on their forelimbs. Animals have the ability to retract their claws, which no other mammal can do.
The skeleton of cats differs from the skeletons of other animals in the shape of the skull. It has equally developed facial and brain parts. The facial is not as elongated as in dogs. And the main difference is the huge eye sockets. Large eyes indicate that cats are nocturnal hunters, they see perfectly in the dark.
Cat Joints
You can understand the nature of their flexibility and mobility by studying the skeleton of a cat. A photo of the spine allows you to see its elasticity and flexibility, achieved due to the structural features of the joints, which serve to connect one bone to another. The ends of the bones included in the joint,covered with cartilage to reduce friction. If the joint is simple, the bones in it move in one plane, and if it is multiaxial, spherical, then the bones move in a circle. Together they are held together by ligaments and tendons. When the ligaments are torn, the bones move away from each other and a dislocation of the joint is formed.
