Cat
Name: ________________________________ You are Veterinarian working for a county fair.
You are preparing information packets about
characteristics of different animal species to
make educational displays.
Your Challenge: How does the heart rate
of a cat compare to humans?
LEVEL 1
The table below shows heartbeats for a cat over time.
1.
The ratios in the table are proportional. Complete the table.
Seconds
0
5
10
Cat
Heartbeats
12.5
30
15
50
30
2.
a) Graph the proportional relationships in the table on a coordinate plane.
b) Draw a line to represent the relationship.
3.
Write an equation in the form of y = mx to describe the relationship between seconds (s)
and heartbeats (h).
4.
a) What is the slope of the line?
b) What is the unit rate for heart beats per second?
c) What can you conclude?
5.
What is the heart rate of a cat in beats per minute? Explain your reasoning.
6.
How long would it take for a cat heart to beat 1,000 times?
Updated June 2014 1 © NextLesson 2014 Cat
LEVEL 2
Comparing animals to humans makes it easier for people to understand their characteristics. The
average heart of an adult human beats 1.2 times every second.
7.
Complete the table and graph the heart rate of an adult human in the same coordinate
plane as the cat heart rate. Use a different color or symbol to differentiate the graphs.
Adult Human
Seconds Heartbeats
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
8.
If s is seconds and h is heartbeats, what is the equation of the line?
9.
In words, compare the heart rate of a cat to the heart rate of an adult human in several
ways:
- Compare the heart rates using the tables.
- Compare the heart rates using the graphs.
- Compare the heart rates using unit rates: beats per second and beats per minute.
- How long would it take an adult human’s heart to beat 1,000 times? Compare heart rates
using this number.
Updated June 2014 2 © NextLesson 2014 Cat
Challenge
Is an animal’s heart rate related to other characteristics? Study the related scatter plots below.
-Life Expectancy vs. Heart Rate1.
Make three observations from the
graphs.
2.
Draw three conclusions from your
observations.
3.
Hypothesize why you think
graphs show these trends.
4.
What other topics might be useful to
compare to heart rate?
Updated June 2014 these
3 © NextLesson 2014 Cat
Finale You could give students one of the following finale options or have them choose themselves.
1. As a veterinarian part of your job is to know the anatomy of animals in order to care for them.
How is a cat’s anatomy similar to a human’s? How are they different? Conduct research to find out
more about cats. Make a list of similarities and differences as well as a drawing of a cat’s anatomy.
2. As a veterinarian you are also concerned about the well-being of cats. Are they an endangered
species that should be protected, or are they perhaps in danger of overpopulation? Conduct
research to find out about the population of Cat over the past 100 years. Create an infographic or
other visual display to show your results and write a summary describing the trend in cat
population.
3. An important job of a veterinarian at an county fair would be to know the nutritional needs of
the animals. Different animals need different amounts of food and use different amounts of
energy. How quickly an animal uses energy (with “fuel” supplied by food) is called its metabolic
rate. Is an animal’s size related to its metabolic rate (and therefore the amount of food it needs)?
Conduct research to answer this question. Create a scatterplot or other visual display to show the
relationship between an animal’s weight and its metabolic rate. Share your results with the class
and discuss any relationship you see.
4. While most cats have many similarities, there are several different types. What different types
of cats are there? How many are there? What factors would cause them to be different? Conduct
research on the different types of cats to answer these questions. Prepare a report discussing the
different types of cats and why they are different.
5. If you wanted to be a veterinarian what training would you need? Would you have to go to
college or could you train on the job? How long would it take to become a veterinarian? Conduct
research to find out the steps you would have to take become a practicing veterinarian. Write an
article for the local career center explaining your findings.
Updated June 2014 4 © NextLesson 2014 Cat
Glossary
Anatomy - the branch of science concerned Metabolism - the processes essential for
with the bodily structure of humans, animals, life by which the complex substances in the
and other living organisms.
cells of living things are built up or broken
down.
Characteristics - a feature or quality
belonging typically to a person, animal, Species - a group of living organisms
place, or thing and serving to identify it.
consisting of similar individuals capable of
exchanging genes or interbreeding.
1. Heart Rate - is the speed of the heartbeat,
specifically the number of heartbeats per Veterinarian - a person qualified to treat
unit of time. The heart rate is typically diseased or injured animals (see also Job
expressed as beats per minute (bpm).
Background).
Metabolic Rate - the rate at which
metabolism occurs in a living organism.
Updated June 2014 © NextLesson 2014 Cat
Job Background
Quick Facts: Veterinarians 2012 Median Pay
$84,460 per year or $40.61 per hour Entry-­‐Level Education
Doctoral or professional degree Work Experience in a Related Occupation
On-­‐the-­‐job Training
None None Number of Jobs, 2012
70,300 Job Outlook, 2012-­‐22
12% (As fast as average) Employment Change, 2012-­‐22
8,400 What Veterinarians Do Veterinarians care for the health of animals and work to improve public health. They diagnose, treat, and research medical conditions and diseases of pets, livestock, and other animals. Work Environment Although most veterinarians work in private clinics and hospitals, others travel to farms, work in laboratories or classrooms, or work for the government. How to Become a Veterinarian Veterinarians must have a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from an accredited veterinary college and a state license. Pay The median annual wage for veterinarians was $84,460 in May 2012. Job Outlook Employment of veterinarians is projected to grow 12 percent from 2012 to 2022, about as fast as the average for all occupations. Candidates can expect very strong competition for available veterinarian positions. Those with specializations and prior work experience should have the best job opportunities.
Updated June 2014 © NextLesson 2014