68 LABORATORY DIRECTIONS 



Urogenital Organs of the Cat Common to Both Sexes 



Kidneys. — These are paired, bean-shaped structures lying 

 against the dorsal body wall on the iliopsoas muscle in the 

 abdomen. The right kidney is somewhat anterior to the left. 

 As in all other vertebrates the kidneys lie outside the coelom 

 and are covered with peritoneum on the ventral side only. 

 Remove the peritoneum and any fat that may be covering the 

 kidney. The notch on the median side is known as the hilus. 

 Here may be found the renal artery coming from the dorsal 

 aorta to the kidney, the renal vein extending from the hilus to the 

 inferior vena cava, and the ureter. 



The ureter is a white tube, sometimes deeply embedded in 

 fat, extending from the hilus of the kidney to the base of the 

 urinary bladder. In removing the fat and in tracing the ureter 

 be very careful not to cut any blood vessels or other ducts. In 

 male cats watch particularly for the vas deferens, which crosses 

 the ureter a short distance from its point of attachment to the 

 bladder. Urine escapes from the bladder to the outside by 

 means of the urethra. 



Split one kidney into dorsal and ventral halves. Observe 

 that it is covered with a loose fibrous coat, the renal capsule, 

 which is continuous with the walls of the ureter. The kidney 

 may be seen to consist of an outer layer, the cortex, and an inner 

 layer, the medulla. Near the hilus the ureter expands into a 

 cavity, the pelvis, into which a papilla projects. 



Adrenal Bodies. — These are two small ovoid bodies more 

 or less embedded in fat, one lying near the anterior end of each 

 kidney. They are endocrine glands and are not part of the 

 urogenital system. 



With bone forceps cut through the pelvic girdle on either 

 side of the mid-ventral line and remove the central section of 

 bone. Work carefully so as not to injure the underlying tissues. 

 In the male be especially careful not to cut the spermatic cords, 

 which lie externally. 



Reproductive Organs of the Male Cat 



Testis and Vas Deferens. — The scrotum is the external 

 pouch of skin, ventral to the anus. It is divided internally 



