ORGAN =
Brain: The Brain is a complex organ that can be divided into many sections, each having their own Specialised Task. For ease of understanding we have broken the brain down into 3 sections, and their Specialised Tasks are:
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Control breathing (unconscious effort) - Brain Stem
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Receive information and make sense out of it and make decisions – Cerebrum
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Send messages to body parts to make them move (can be simple or complicated movement patterns involving multiple body parts) - Cerebellum
Spinal Cord: The Spinal Cord runs from the brain to the cats tail and it protected by the cats backbones (vertebrae). Like the vertebrae, the Spinal Cord is divided into sections, these are called the:
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Cervical Segments – (Neck)
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Thoracic Segments - (Upper Back)
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Lumbar Segments – (Lower Back)
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Sacral Segments – (Between Lower Back and the Tail)
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Caudal Segments – (Tail)
Branching in and out from the Spinal Cord are the Peripheral Nerves and they run and divide further throughout the body to connect to Organs / Muscles / Vessels. The Specialist Task of the Spinal Cord is to transmit messages to and from the Peripheral Nerves and the Brain.
Peripheral Nerves (not shown in CATMAP Organs / Body Systems but important to be aware of in understanding the whole nervous system of the cat):
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Branch in and out from the Spinal Cord segments (Spinal Nerves) to organs / muscle
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Run to and from the Brain to areas of the head and neck (Cranial Nerves) to organs / muscle.
Their Specialised Task of the Peripheral Nerves is to transmit messages to and from the Spinal Cord/Brain and Organs / Muscle (smooth muscle and skeletal muscle) / Vessels.
BODY SYSTEMS =
Central Nervous System (CNS) : The Brain and Spinal Cord. Their Certain Activity is to:
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Transmit information from the Peripheral Nerves to the Spinal Cord and then to the Brain…
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At the Brain this information is ‘processed’ and a decision is made whether action needs to be taken in respect to this information…
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This decision is transmitted from the Brain to Spinal Cord, then from the Spinal Cord to the Peripheral Nerves, so that the decision which was made can be acted on.
The Peripheral Nervous System (PNS): Is comprised of Peripheral Nerves. The Peripheral Nervous System can be divided into two sections, each with their own Certain Activity:
The Autonomic Nervous System: Controls/Regulates Certain ‘essential’ Activities like for example telling the:
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Heart to pump blood
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The Small Intestine smooth muscle to contract and releasing to move digested food along its length
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Pupils of the eyes to get bigger (dilate) in low light and larger (contract) in bright
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Blood vessels to dilate or contract etc
All of these Activities cats have no conscious control over.
The Somatic Nervous System: Contains two types of Peripheral Nerve called Sensory Nerves and Motor Nerves. Their Certain Activities are:
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Sensory Nerves transmit information to the brain or spinal cord from the body’s sensory structures (e.g. pain, temperature, touch pressure in the skin).
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Motor Nerves transmit information to the muscles (skeletal) which control movement (e.g. walking), holding sections of the body still (i.e. holding a certain posture), and reflexes from the brain or spinal cord to the muscles which control movement
In some of these Activities cats have some conscious control over (For example if a cat feels thirsty, they can walk to their water bowl and get a drink (conscious control of reaction to the stimuli of thirst); though in the situation where a cats’ digit of their paw is pressed or squeezed, they will withdraw their limb as a reflex action which is unconscious).
Always CHECK with your VET ✓
