Feline Reproduction Flashcards
Feline puberty beings at __-__ months. Free roaming cats cycle sooner and group housing or intro of _____ or ____ in estrus will hasten onset of puberty
5-9 months; Tom or Queen
Cats are seasonally polyestrus and cycle from ___-___ as ___ day breeders like mares.
feb-sept; long day breeders
Period of anestrus in cats is shorter days beginning in October and going to January. T/F
True
Cat will display estrus every ____ days unless preg., pseduopreg, sterile, sick
14 days
Proestrus is time that the cat is…
attractive by not receptive with period of rapid ovarian growth and increased estrogen. Duration is 12 hrs - 3 days and not easily detected
Estrus in cats (queens)-
Period of sexual receptivity when Queen is receptive to mating and estradiol peaks. Lasts about a week, may see edematous labia and discharge.
Interestrus-
Lasts around 1-3 weeks, period of sexual inactivity between follicular waves.
Cats are ____ ovulators
Induced
Diestrus is a time where CL forms within ___ hrs of _____ and only occurs if this happens.
48 hrs; OVULATION
Interestrous follows what step in cyclicity???
CL forms within 48 hours after ovulation (diestrus), then CL regresses after 45 days if not preg and interestrous interval begins
CL remains functional for how many days if Queen is NOT preg? CL remains functional for how many days if Queen IS pregnant?
NOT preg= 45 days
Preg= 57 days
What months does anestrus occur? How can it be manipulated?
Oct-Jan; with lighting
“Know these facts”
Peak reprod. of cats is between 1.5-8 years of age
Average litter size is 3-4 kittens, average 2-3 litters per year, old and young cats will cycle irregularly and are prone to smaller litters and more stillbirths
If a male cat is torti, what genes must he have for his genotype? What is impt to note about this particular cat related to fertility?
XXY genotype; he is infertile
How can we induce pseudopreg. in a cat?
Placing a swab in her cranial vagina. It stimulates the vagina and cat may attack
Is P4 (progesterone) helpful for breeding management? How about cytology?
Both not very helpful, cytology is okay
Ovulation in the Queen–>
The queen is an induced ovulator, mechanical stimulation or breeding required, within minutes the LH is released from the pit gland. !!!Multiple matings increase LH levels!!!!. Ovulation will then occur in 25-30 hrs. Ovulation occassionally induced by stroking the Queen in presence of a Tom.
Ovulation in the queen occurs ___-___ hours after copulation or mechanical stimulation
25-30 hours
Pseudopregnancy in Queens:
Ovulation occuring without preg. Will not exhibit estrus, luteal phase will be around 35 days, clinical signs are rare
Pregnancy Diagnosis–>
- How long is gestation?
- What is detected after 25 days of pregnancy?
- String of marbles are present on days ___-__ of pregnancy
- 65-67 days
- Relaxin
- days 17-20
At 25 days of gestation, there is generalized _____
Uteromegaly
Fetal ossification occurs at ___ days (use Rads). U/S at day ____ is able to detect fetal viability via fetal heartbeats.
43 days; 16 days
How long does parturition of a cat take? What time interval is normal between kittens?
6 hours; 15-30 mins
Dystocia is common in cats. T/F
False, Rare!!
Only posterior presentation of the kittens is normal. T/F
False!!! Anterior and posterior are common and both are normal.
Though dystocia is rare in cats, what is the most common cause of dystocia in the Queen if it were to happen?
Primary uterine inertia
When should you worry about the viability of the kittens +/- mom???
- gestation takes more than 71 days after first breeding
- presence of P4 level less than 2ng/mL
- more than 2 hrs between kittens
- partial expulsion of fetuses
- signs of shock in the mom
- more than four hrs of straining without a kitten
Since primary uterine inertia is the number one cause of dystocia in cats, what medical management choices should we opt for???
Give oxytocin and plan for C-section
How often do hand raised kittens need to be fed?
every two hours
Kittens with edematous nose, ears, or leg might be a result of what???
Other kittens in the litter trying to nurse on that kitten. Sucking on it…
Spines on penis of male are lost within how long after castration?
a couple weels
Mammary tumors in cats are usually _____ and ___ (breed) is over represented.
Malignant (90% of them), Siamese
What is often required for mammary tumors in cats???
Aggressive mastectomy often required and def. look for metastasis
Mammary hyperplasia
Firm, non painful, enlarged mammary glands often ulcerated and usually seen in young cats after ovulation or during preg. Sensitivity to progesterone
Mammary hyperplasia resolved after removal of _______. What do we use to completely tx???
P4 (progesterone).
Tx: PGF-alpha, P4 Antagonists, Spay (might need flank approach)
Ovarian rem. syndrome- diagnosis–>
Elevated AMH levels (spaycheck testing), elevated P4 (progesterone) after induction of ovulation, LH levels should be persistently high in spayed cats (high LH= spayed, absent= ORS)
LH high means ____
Spayed
Absent levels of LH = ______
Ovarian remnant syndrome (ORS)
Uterine prolpase in cats:
Often occurs just after labor, diag. is obvious. Usually both horns and even part of the uterine body. Queens may be n to very ill depending on time until treatment
Pyometras usually occur _____ weeks after _____
4 weeks after heat
Medical management of pyometra is not the ideal choice, OHE is…. but if we have to use it what do we use?….
Lutalyse (prostaglandins) BID for 5 days, 90% of medically tx Queens will breed successfully after tx
Diestrus in cats only follows ovulation, not every estrus period (like in dogs). T/F
True!!! :))
Describe the complete cycle of the cat if she becomes pregnant
Estrus– ovulation – preg— diestrus— CL regression— birth— lactation— possibly estrus again if still in the season of long days (Feb-Sept)
Describe the complete cycle of the cat if she does NOT become pregnant–
estrus– ovulation without pregnancy– diestrus– CL regression around 45 days– interestrus —estrus again
