Day 1 Journal- Oh, a Cat!

On Monday March 24th, we worked together to get the cat out of its bag and drain all of the juices in the bag. We needed Woj's help, but were able to clean up the spill. We then examined the cat's exterior to answer the lab questions in the light blue packet, and worked together to carefully put the cat back into the bag.

Questions:
1. What was in the preservatives?

2. There was a small cut in the cats's left leg. We noticed that all three layers of skin were removed from that section of the leg, and that the muscles and veins were showing. We noticed that one vein was a dark shade of blue. Why was the leg cut? Why was the vein blue?

Interesting facts:
1. We found it interesting that cats whiskers help cats with navigation and sensing their environment.

2. The cat's tongue contains papillae for cleaning and eating purposes.

Reactions:
1. Our initial reactions to the wet, smelly, heavy cat was disgust.

2. After taking the cat out of the bag, draining the preservative juices, and examining its exterior, we were more comfortable with dissecting it.

Difficulties:
1. We had a difficult time containing the liquid inside of the bag. As we were removing the cat, the liquid spilled over onto the table and floor. 

The cat when we first took it out of its bag. 

Examining the cat's tongue, the first part of the
Digestive system.