Feline reproduction

1. COLLEGE OF VETERINARY & ANIMAL SCIENCE
NAVANIA, VALLABHNAGAR, UDAIPUR
“FELINE REPRODUCTION AND PREGNACY”
Presented by :-Ashish Tanwar

2. What we will be covering?
• Reproductive Physiology
• Mating Process
• Pregnancy and Pseudopregnancy

4. *When talking about feline
breeding………
Fertility: Good!
Parturition: No
Problem!!
Litter size: High Easy
to obtain!!!
It’s not all that Easy!!!!!
Knowing the basics is important!

5. Testes
•Located in
the scrotum
•Ectopic
Penis
•Penile spines
•Induce Ovulation
ANATOMY: How different are Cats?

6. ANATOMY: How different are Cats?
Vagina
•Short
•Vaginal Diseases-Rare
Bladder
•Urinary and Genital
Tracts are connected
•Any urinary disease-
affects fertility

7. SEASONALITY
•Seasonally Polyestrous
species
•Breeding and non-
breeding season
•Cycles regularly
throughout the
breeding season
Factors Influencing Breeding Season
• Daylength (LDB)
• Related to melatonin secretion
• Can be used to induce or stop the breeding season
N
S
Cont…

8. SEASONALITY
Temperature
• Cyclicity stops in warm weather
• Heat Stress
Cont…

9. SEASONALITY
90 % are Seasonal
50 % are Seasonal
Breed
Cont…

10. SEASONALITY
Social Interaction
Cont…

11. FERTILITY
• 1.5 and 8 years of age
• Av. 2-3 litters per year
• 3-4 kittens per litter
(1 to 15)
• 50 to 150 kittens in 10
years
• Polygamous
• Accept several males -
superfecundation

12. PUBERTY
•First Estrus 5-9 m of age (3.5-18 m)
•Onset
• Approx. 75% Adult weight
• 2-2.5 kg for a normal female
•Other factors
• Breed
• Social environment
• Health
• Physical condition
• Nutritional plane
Cont…

13. PUBERTY
♂ ♀
Cont…

14. PUBERTY
• Burmese queen enter in puberty earlier than other breed
• Long haired and Manx enter puberty later than other breeds

15. ESTROUS CYCLE
Proestrus Estrus
No Mating
Interestrus
Interval (3-16 d)
Proestrus Estrus
Ovulation ? No
Anovulatory
Cycle
So on……

16. ESTROUS CYCLE
Proestrus Estrus
Mating
Pseudopregnancy
(30-50 days)
Proestrus
(3-16 d)
Estrus
Ovulation ?
Pseudopregnancy
So on……
Yes
Fertilization
NO

17. PSEUDOPREGNANCY
When??
•Sterile mating with infertile or subfertile male
•Malformation

18. OVULATORY CYCLE

19. ESTROUS CYCLE
Estrus
Mating
Pregnancy (65 d)
Estrus
(3-16 d later, Av.< 1 wk)
Prolonged Interestrus
(~35 d)
Ovulation ?
Pregnancy
No lactation
Yes
Fertilization
Yes
Lactation (45-50 d)
Anestrus
(45-150 d)
Estrus
Abortion

20. GESTATION

21. PROESTRUS
1.2 days (range 0.4-2 days)
Typical signs
•Vocalization
•rubbing of face against objects
•increased sign of "over
affection" or “over friendliness”

22. ESTRUS
•Period of sexual receptivity
•Duration 4 to 7 days (1 -21 d)
•Estrus occurs with peak E2 or follicular activity.
•Vulva slightly edematous and hyperemic , little
discharge
•Typical lardosis behaviour

23. INTERESTROUS INTERVAL
• Period of reproductive
inactivity
• Duration- 9 days (1.4-16.6)
• Estrogen and progesterone
remain low
• Hormonally inactive
• All breeding behaviors
cease
• Return to proestrus in
1 to 3 weeks

24. DIESTRUS OR PSEUDOPREGNANCY
• Period of progesterone
dominance
• Can be either pregnant or
pseudo-pregnant
• CL develops 1-2 days after
ovulation
• Remain functional for 30 to
50 days (average 35 days)
• Interestrous interval follows

25. ANESTRUS
• Reproductive
dormancy (Oct-Jan)
• E2 and P4
• No sexual behavior
• Shorter days- trigger
onset of anestrus
• Hormonally similar to
interestrus

26. BREEDING BEHAVIOUR
•Marking of territory by males
•Queen- Low monotone howls known as
heat cries
•Tom cats-caterwaul in response
•Courtship duration-10 sec to 5 min

27. BEWARE OF STRESS
•Males are Territorial
Markers
•May not be willing to
mount
• Transport can inhibit
estrus behavior

28. BREEDING BEHAVIOUR-
STEP BY STEP
•Males approach and neck bite
•30 sec - 4hrs
•Depends on
•Male and female
experience
•Stress conditions

29. BREEDING BEHAVIOUR- STEP BY STEP
•Coitus is Very Short
•0.3-8 min for positioning
•Treading by the female-
raises her perineal region
•1-30 sec. for intromission,
ejaculation and coital cry
• Dismounting
• 0-1 sec for dismounting

30. BREEDING BEHAVIOUR- STEP BY STEP
•Queens After Reaction
• 1-7 min for queens after
reaction
• Rejection of the male
• Disoriented rolling
• Streatching
• Genital licking
• Refractory Period
• Refusing Attempts to
Remount
• 0-5 hrs

31. OVULATION
• Induced ovulator
• Copulation triggers LH
release
• Spontaneous ovulation
• Ovulation dependent on
• number of matings
• intervals between
matings
• day of mating
• individual differences in
the LH peak

32. PREGNANCY
• Length
• 63-66 d from ovulation
• From a Practical Point of
view
• If matings took place
over a 3 day period
• Count 65 days from
the 2nd day

33. PREGNANCY DIAGNOSIS
• Behavioural
Modifications
• Seeking for more
attention…
• Or the other way round!
• Not Reliable enough
• Physical Modifications
• Weight gain
• Continuous weight
gain throughout
gestation
• Difficult to see before
1 month

34. PREGNANCY DIAGNOSIS
• Abdominal Palpation
• Around 17-25 days
• Difficult beyond that
• Ultrasound
• Most reliable technique
• Around 11-14 d into gestation
• Check for fetal viability and numbers
• Radiography
• Consistent after 43-45 days
• Check for fetal numbers and
position at the time of parturition

35.  Cat Reproduction
A cat reaches reproduction maturity between 6 and 9 month
of age.
 Heat patterns
• A females cat mate by calling for male company with their
special ‘meow’ which like the howling sounds and rub
themselves along the floor with tailed raised.
• They started to walk like a queen when they are out
• The heat lasts between 7 to 21 days
• The breeding season in cats is practically year round running
as early as Feb, and as late as Dec.
QUEENING
Cont…

36.  Reproduction Process
• The male cat’s penis has backward pointer spines which scratch the interior
of its partner, and cause ovulation to occur.
• The mother’s eggs are after mating .
• Pregnancy lasts between 56 & 71 days, with the average pregnancy taking 68
days.
 Birthing
• A few days before she is due to give birth the pregnant female will become
restless and will look for the best nest
• This will normally be quiet, warm and in one of the darker parts of the
house. This is where she will give birth.
• The birthing process is called “Queening”.
• The cervix begins to dilate. A clear, odourless discharge from the vagina is
usually apparent.
• At birth, the newborn kittens are blind, deaf and helpless.
QUEENING

37. New born Kitten
New born Kitten
after 24 Hr.

38. REFERENCES
 Axner E. 2008. Update on reproduction physiology, genital
diseases, and artifical insemination in domestic cat. Reprod
Dom Anim 43:144-149
 Baldwin C, Evans LE, Peter AT.2000. Evaluation of natural
prostaglandin therapy for pregnancy termination in the
domestic cats. Fel prac 28:16-12
 Bell ET, Malik R, Norris JM. 2006. The relationship between the
feline coronavirus antibody titre and the age, breed, gender
and health status of Australian cats. Aust Vet J 84:2-7
 Elits BE. 2002. Pregnancy terminal in queen. Clin Tech Sm Anim
Prac 17:116-123

39.  Griffin B.2001. Prolific cats: The estrus cycle. Compendium
23:1049-1056
 Millard RP, Pickens EH, Wells KL. 2009. Excessive production
of sex hormone of sex hormone in cats with an
adrenocortical tumor. J Amer Vet Med Assoc 234:505-508
 Root MV, Johnston SD, Olson PN .1995. Estrous length,
pregnancy rate , gestation and parturition lengths, litters
size, and juvenile mortality in the domestic cat. J Amer Anim Hosp
Assoc 31:429-433
REFERENCES

40. Thank You