|
Similarities
|
|
Both have a tongue, salivary glands, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, gallbladder,
liver, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and anus.
|
|
Both can digest meat.
|
|
Both have molars and premolars.
|
|
Both secrete saliva in order to moisten, soften, and chemically break
down starches in food.
|
|
Differences
|
|
|
Humans
|
Cats
|
|
Omnivores
|
Obligate carnivores-Can only get nutrients from meat and bones. Can
tolerate only small amounts of vegetation & plant matter (only to aid in
digestion & to make hairballs)
|
|
Humans obtain necessary nutrients and vitamins from plants and
animals.
|
Plants are unnecessary for a cats’ diet. A healthy diet for a cat
involves high levels of protein and low levels of carbohydrates.
|
|
Humans need carbohydrates to make energy.
|
Cats need no carbohydrates for energy; it is even unhealthy for them
to have carbohydrates such as wheat, corn, and soybeans because they make
digestion more difficult.
|
|
Slower metabolism than cats and meat must be cooked to eliminate
harmful bacteria. Slow metabolism= a higher chance for harmful bacteria to
grow (for example: salmonella)
|
Higher metabolism than humans. Also, a higher metabolism decreases
the risk of illnesses from harmful bacteria.
|
|
Digestive juices in a human are less acidic than a cat because we do
not need to break down bones because we do not eat them.
|
Digestive juices are highly acidic. This is to help it break down the
bones of its prey that it may have eaten.
|
|
A human’s liver has 4 lobes
|
A cat’s liver has 6 lobes
|
|
A human large intestine includes the ascending, transverse, and
descending colon.
|
A cat’s large intestine does not include an ascending colon.
|
|
Humans do not require the same levels of taurine to function and
maintain proper health like cats do.
|
Cats require high amounts of taurine (an amino acid) in order to
maintain proper vision, digestion, heart functions, & immune system.
|
|
Tongue is used only to mechanically break down food.
|
Tongue is used to not only break food down mechanically, but for
self-grooming purposes with the papillae.
|
|
Teeth are blunter than cats, and are used mainly to just help tear up
meat.
|
Cat teeth are sharper than human teeth, and are used to hold and kill
prey.
|
|
Premolars and molars are used primarily for grinding up food.
|
Premolars and molars are used primarily cutting up and tearing food.
|
|
Incisors are used to cut up food.
|
Cat incisors are smaller than a human’s and are used for grooming.
|
|
Humans have a wider range of movement for the jaw than cats do,
including being able to move the jaw both side to side and up and down.
|
Cats can only move their jaw vertically, not side to side.
|
|
Adult human has 32 teeth.
|
Adult cat has 30 teeth.
|
 |
| Cat teeth |
 |
| Human teeth |
 |
| The Human Digestive System |
 |
| A clearer look at the internal organs... |
