Disecting a cat-why?

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In A&P1 we start disecting a cat this week. Four people to one cat.:eek: What is the point? I wish we could have a one on one with the cat. I'm taking my digital camera, so I can review at home. Just wondering if you wiser students knew the purpose.

Thanks!

Cheryl Moore

originally posted by sleepyeyes

we asked our instructor, "why a cat?"

she replied, "because a human's too expensive."

my instructor told the school, you wouldn't try to teach a computor class without computers.

we do a human disection (20 students, i had the left head and neck)every 2 years and then use those cadavers for regular a&p. so we now have 5, that are "pinned" with numbers for each body system. the lab practicals are a blank sheet of paper numbered 1 - 100.

i had the best a&p instructor. :D

Specializes in CCU/ER.

YUCK!! I'm not sure I could actually disect a cat!

In our A&P (at a local community college, by the way) they are too cheap to buy anything whole, so we had to settly for pig hearts and sheep eyes and brain. But boy! Did some of us have fun taking them all apart!!!!

Specializes in CCU/ER.

YUCK!! I'm not sure I could actually disect a cat!

In our A&P (at a local community college, by the way) they are too cheap to buy anything whole, so we had to settly for pig hearts and sheep eyes and brain. But boy! Did some of us have fun taking them all apart!!!!

I know I'm a little late on this one but.........in high school I dissected both a mink and a cat. The cat is a field day compared to the mink. The cat is (I can't find another word) so clean on the inside. Minks..........they have mink oil. Mink oil is disgusting. The smell gets everywhere and stays there. I had to throw away all my clothes after Junior year of high school. I love cats and have one as a pet but, I'll take a cat over a mink anyday. Ironically, my nursing school does the mink. figures.

It was 4:1 in my A&PII class too. we did well. I got an A. I was not the one who dissected the cat but we all try to find the different veins and arteries and the organs at the same time. We had to do an oral examination by showing the professor approximately 40 veins and arteries and about 16 organs. We did it individually.

I really did not have a problem to work with three other students because we could go to the lab anytime to see our cat.

You will do well.

Ann.

We didn't have access to the cats other than at class. By the time the teacher cleaned the cats up for the practical, they didn't look like the same thing we'd been working on. I even took straight pins with an organ label on each one, took digital pics for the whole class.....and bombed :-(

Looks like I'm going to be taking A & P1 again in the spring. At the end, the teacher came over to me and told me that instead of learning and trying to understand what was being taught, I should just memorize. Uh, I don't think so, if I have to take it twice to really understand it, oh well. The time will go by anyway-right?

This whole thing has really discouraged me. I am just hoping that I WILL understand it better this time, and not getting a C in the class doesn't mean I won't make a good nurse.

Cheryl Moore

Originally posted by OBNURSEHEATHER

LMAO!

close and personal.

I loved disecting that cat! I hate cats!

Heather

HEATHER, WHAT IS THE ISSUE WITH YOU AND KITTIES, I THINK I MISSED THE STORY ON THAT ONE :)

In HS we dissected pigs, worms, rats, and frogs. I would probably have a problem with cats, they're my favorite.

You could probably make some good winter mittens out of the hides.

-Russell

A CAT ????? DAMNNN..... We had to assist with an autopsy each.......still have visions of that skull saw in my mind...and that was three years ago.

~Dawn~

Specializes in Neuroscience ICU, CNRN, SCRN.

I've got my A & P II final tomorrow night, and we didn't get to dissect anything! No facilities at my community college campus for any "wet" labs...so its been a bit disappointing.

In high school we dissected worms, frogs and nurse sharks (I grew up in South Florida)...that was very interesting. But since that was 30 years ago, the memory has sort of left me...

Several of my classmates have taken A & P before, and they all had a cadaver, but I guess that's pretty rare these days, especially at a community college. At least you got the chance to dissect something! I'm not a big cat fan, but I don't know how I'd feel about dissecting one...

I had the same A&P instructor as Student Sandra above---human dissection was GREAT!!!! What a privelage. Oh by the way---thanks to Sandra for all the great tutoring this past semester....and thanks for recommending this site!

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