Abstract

Background:
The cat liver is a crucial organ located in the upper abdomen, which is important for digestion and various body functions. It is shaped to fit within the rib cage and moves readily with breathing because of its connection with the diaphragm.

Aim:
This study aimed to observe the anatomical differences that occur in young and mature domestic cats (Felis catus) and the impact of environmental changes (represented by environmental pollution resulting from the accumulation of pollutants in recent years in the country) evident in the anatomical findings of the current generation of this species.

Methods:
This study was conducted on a local breed of cats [immature and mature (Felis catus)] in Iraq at different ages from 30 days to 2 years. Cats were characterized by segmentation of the right lobes (medial and lateral), left lobes (medial and lateral), and the caudate lobe with the presence of the papilla and process, and the quadrate lobe. Anatomically, ten animals were used in the study, consisting of five immature and five mature cats. The cats were euthanized by administering an overdose of ketamine hydrochloride, then making an incision to remove the viscera to end up at the liver, checking it grossly without any pathological change, and taking the necessary measurements and weighing the liver.

Results:
The quadrate lobe was divided into two parts, anterior and posterior, in the mature cat, but not in the immature cat. Significant differences in the gallbladder and the macroscopic branches that branch off it were also observed in immature cats. In immature cats, a vestigial gallbladder with a duct exiting it was present; in divergent mature cats, this is consistent with other animals, in the mature and the immature cat according the Mean ± SE the two Liver weights (112.4 ± 21.07 and 29 ± 3.801) SD (4.8 and 2.8, respectively) and gall bladder length (14.06 ± 0.655and SD 8.88 ± 0.311), respectively, statically no significant value.

Conclusion:
Finally, anatomical and physiological studies are necessary to investigate the physiological environmental factors that may contribute to the lobular divisions of the liver in cats.

Key words: Cat; Felis catus; Iraq; Liver Anatomy; Lobulation.