A broad array of life-threatening pulmonary disorders are common among cats.

By Tom Ewing

Despite some minor anatomical differences, feline lungs are structured just like human lungs, operate in the same way, and serve the same purpose. As in humans, these two bag-shaped, elastic organs are located opposite each other — one on each side of the animal’s heart — and occupy most of the space in its chest cavity.

Like any mammalian lungs, says Richard Goldstein, DVM, feline lungs have two main functions — ventilation and perfusion — both of which are essential to a cat’s vital processes. “Any anatomical differences between a cat’s lungs and your lungs are not significant,” says Dr. Goldstein, an assistant professor of clinical sciences at Cornell University’s…

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