• 30 vessels
  • Checked October 2026

Cat Blood Vessels Labeling Quiz

The main arteries of a cat, then the main veins, on one outline.

Cat Blood Vessels Labeling Quiz

Name Date

Which blood vessel is lit?

1 of 9

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Write the name of each numbered vessel.Answer key

  1. Aortic arch
  2. Brachiocephalic artery
  3. Right common carotid artery
  4. Left common carotid artery
  5. Left subclavian artery
  6. Axillary artery
  7. Brachial artery
  8. Thoracic aorta
  9. Abdominal aorta
  10. Celiac artery
  11. Superior mesenteric artery
  12. Renal artery
  13. Inferior mesenteric artery
  14. Iliolumbar artery
  15. External iliac artery
  16. Internal iliac artery
  17. Femoral artery
  18. Caudal artery
  19. Superior vena cava (precava)
  20. Brachiocephalic vein
  21. External jugular vein
  22. Internal jugular vein
  23. Transverse vein
  24. Subclavian vein
  25. Inferior vena cava (postcava)
  26. Hepatic portal vein
  27. Renal vein
  28. Common iliac vein
  29. External iliac vein
  30. Femoral vein

Drawn for this site on 2026-10-04 by script as splines, nothing traced. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a vessel is answered.

Next step Next: the organs of a cat

All 30 vessels on the diagram

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Arteries 18

  1. Aortic arch The bend of the aorta above the heart. In the cat it has two branches; in a person it has three.
  2. Brachiocephalic artery The first branch of the arch. It gives off both common carotid arteries, then runs on as the right subclavian.
  3. Right common carotid artery It runs up the right side of the windpipe. It carries blood to the head and neck.
  4. Left common carotid artery It runs up the left side of the windpipe. In the cat it leaves the brachiocephalic artery, not the arch.
  5. Left subclavian artery The second branch of the aortic arch. It carries blood to the left forelimb.
  6. Axillary artery The subclavian artery where it crosses the armpit. It runs on down the forelimb.
  7. Brachial artery The axillary artery carried on along the upper forelimb. It lies on the inner side of the limb.
  8. Thoracic aorta The part of the aorta that lies in the chest. Small paired branches leave it for the ribs.
  9. Abdominal aorta The part of the aorta that lies in the abdomen. It runs along the midline, against the back.
  10. Celiac artery The first branch of the abdominal aorta. It divides in three: to the liver, the stomach and the spleen.
  11. Superior mesenteric artery It arises just behind the celiac artery. It carries blood to the pancreas and the intestines.
  12. Renal artery One runs to each kidney. Both are large vessels.
  13. Inferior mesenteric artery An unpaired branch to the large intestine. It leaves the aorta behind the kidneys.
  14. Iliolumbar artery A small pair running out along the back wall. In the cat they leave the aorta itself.
  15. External iliac artery The largest branch of the abdominal aorta. It carries blood to the hind limb; the cat has no common iliac artery.
  16. Internal iliac artery A second pair, just behind the external iliacs. It carries blood to the organs of the pelvis.
  17. Femoral artery The external iliac artery once it reaches the thigh. It runs down the inner side of the hind limb.
  18. Caudal artery The end of the aorta, running into the tail. Some books call it the median sacral artery.

Veins 12

  1. Superior vena cava (precava) The large vein into the heart from the head end. The two brachiocephalic veins join to form it.
  2. Brachiocephalic vein One on each side, meeting above the heart. The subclavian and the external jugular join to make it.
  3. External jugular vein The large vein on the side of the neck. In the cat it is far larger than the internal jugular.
  4. Internal jugular vein A small vein beside the windpipe. It brings blood from the brain and joins the external jugular.
  5. Transverse vein A cross-link between the veins of the two sides. It runs across the underside of the throat.
  6. Subclavian vein It brings blood back from the forelimb. Near the armpit it is called the axillary vein.
  7. Inferior vena cava (postcava) The large vein into the heart from the hind end. It passes through the liver on its way.
  8. Hepatic portal vein It carries blood from the gut to the liver. Veins from the intestine, the stomach and the spleen form it.
  9. Renal vein One comes from each kidney. Both empty into the inferior vena cava.
  10. Common iliac vein The two join to form the inferior vena cava. An external and an internal iliac vein form each one.
  11. External iliac vein The larger of the two veins that form the common iliac. It carries on from the femoral vein.
  12. Femoral vein The vein of the thigh. It runs beside the femoral artery on the inner side of the hind limb.

How this list was compiled: Every name and every branching checked on 2026-10-01 and again on 2026-10-02 in two of three cat anatomy texts. J. Reighard and H. S. Jennings, Anatomy of the Cat (1901, public domain), the circulatory system, https://archive.org/details/anatomyofcat00reig. A. Davison, Mammalian Anatomy with Special Reference to the Cat (1903, public domain), the vascular system, https://archive.org/details/mammaliananatomy00davi. L. H. Hyman, A Laboratory Manual for Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy (1922, public domain), the circulatory system of the cat, https://archive.org/details/ost-biology-labmanualcompvert00hymarich. For two accepted names only, cranial and caudal vena cava: M. J. Ulmer and others, Anatomy of the Cat: An Atlas and Dissection Guide (1972), https://archive.org/details/anatomyofcatatla0000ulme; B. M. Harrison, Dissection of the Cat and Comparisons with Man (1976), https://archive.org/details/dissectionofcatc0000harr; Wikipedia, Superior vena cava, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superior_vena_cava. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-04 by script as splines, nothing traced. Laid out after public domain figures: B. G. Wilder and S. H. Gage, Anatomical Technology as Applied to the Domestic Cat (1882), fig. 76 (the cat's outline from below) and fig. 101 (general view of the blood vessels), scans at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anatomical_technology_as_applied_to_the_domestic_cat;_an_introduction_to_human,_veterinary,_and_comparative_anatomy_(1882)_(14785141153).jpg and https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anatomical_technology_as_applied_to_the_domestic_cat;_an_introduction_to_human,_veterinary,_and_comparative_anatomy_(1882)_(14785158783).jpg; A. Davison, Mammalian Anatomy with Special Reference to the Cat, second edition (1910), fig. 86, page 186 (kidneys and their vessels), scan at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Image_from_page_186_of_%22Mammalian_anatomy_-_with_special_reference_to_the_cat_%22_(1910)_(20773363075).jpg. Licence: own work

How it works

This cat blood vessels labeling quiz shows a cat from the front, with its heart and kidneys drawn in. Two views hold the main arteries and two the main veins. It is a plan, not to scale.

Read the full guide

Arteries

The Arch and Aorta views hold the arteries. A cat's aortic arch has two branches where a person's has three. The brachiocephalic artery gives off both common carotid arteries, then runs on as the right subclavian. There is no common iliac artery: the external and internal iliac arteries leave the aorta as two separate pairs, and the aorta runs on into the tail as the caudal artery.

Veins

The Precava and Postcava views hold the veins; older lab manuals use those names for the superior and inferior vena cava. The large vein of the neck is the external jugular; the internal jugular is small and joins it. A transverse vein links the two sides across the throat.

  • The cat's right side is on the left of the picture, as it is when a cat lies on its back in front of you.

Questions and answers

How many branches does the aortic arch have in a cat?

Two: the brachiocephalic artery and the left subclavian artery. In a person the left common carotid is a third branch; in a cat it leaves the brachiocephalic artery.

Does a cat have a common iliac artery?

No. The aorta gives off a pair of external iliac arteries and then, a little farther back, a pair of internal iliac arteries. The veins differ: a cat does have common iliac veins.

What is the precava in a cat?

The precava is the superior vena cava, the large vein that returns blood from the head, neck and forelimbs to the heart. The postcava is the inferior vena cava.

Which is larger in a cat, the external or the internal jugular vein?

The external jugular. It is the large vein on each side of the neck. The internal jugular is small, runs beside the windpipe and joins the external jugular low in the neck.

What is the caudal artery of a cat?

The end of the aorta. Behind the internal iliac arteries the aorta carries on as one small vessel in the midline, which runs into the tail.

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