Feline Reproduction Flashcards
What is the average age of puberty?
5-9 months
What is puberty affected by?
Breed
Photoperiod (long day breeders)
Body weight
Body condition
What cats cycle sooner?
Free roaming
Group housing or the intro of tom or queen in estrus
What is the seaonality of cats?
Seasonally polyestrus
When do cats cycle?
February to September (long day breeders)
When do cats have a period of anestrus?
October to January (short days_
How often will cats display estrus?
Every 14 days
Why may a cat not display estrus?
Pregnancy
Pseudopregnancy (30-50 days)
Sterilization
Illness
What is the queen like during proestrus?
Attractive, but not receptive
Signs can be difficult to detect
What is proestrus?
Period of rapid ovarian growth
What is the duration of proestrus?
12 hours to 3 days
What is estrus?
Period of sexual receptivity
What is the duration of estrus?
4-7 days
What hormone peaks during estrus?
Estradiol
What may you see during estrus?
Edematous labia
Scant discharge
What does the queen do during estrus?
Vocalizes and calls to tom
Assumes lordosis stance in the presence of tom
How is the lordosis stance elicited?
Stroking queen’s back
What is interestrus?
Cats don’t ovulate every cycle as they are induced ovulators
Period of sexual inactivity during follicular waves
What is the duration of interestrus?
Average of 1-3 weeks
When does diestrus occur?
Only if ovulation occurs
When do CLs form during diestrus?
Within 48 hours of ovulation
How long do CLs remain functional?
45 days if not pregnant
57 days if pregnant
What happens to thee CL if the queen is not pregnant?
Regresses and a normal interestrous interval follows
What is anestrus?
Period of sexual rest
When is anestrus?
October to January in free roaming cats
What can anestrus be manipulated with?
Lighting
When does peak reproductive activity occur?
Between 1.5 to 8 years of age
What is the average number of litters per year?
2-3
What is the average number of kittens per litter?
3-4
What is the fertility of old and young cats?
They will cycle irregularly and are prone to small litters and more stillbirths
What is unique about a male Tortoishell or Calcio?
Rare (1:3000)
Infertile
If a male cat is bot orange and black in color he has an XXY genotype (orange and black are found on X chromosome) so he is infertile
What is the breeding behavior of a cat?
Usually occurs at night Vocalization is common Courtship is brief (10 sec-5 min) Tom grasps queen's neck with his teeth Grips queen's side with his forelegs Intromission and ejaculation occur within a few seconds
What is the post coital reaction by the queen?
Lasts several minutes Queen will often scream May attack tom Rolls on the ground Licks vaginal area
When can additional matings occur?
After 20-30 minutes
Is cytology helpful prior to breeding? P4 level?
Cytology is marginally helpful
P4 level is not helpful
When should breeding occur?
Over 1-3 days, 2 hours daily
What is required for ovulation?
Mechanical stimulation or copulation (induced ovulator)
What happens once mating occurs?
LH is released from the pituitary within minutes
Multiple matings increase LH levels
When does ovulation occur?
25-30 hours after mating
What is pseudopregnancy?
Ovulation occurs without pregnancy
Will the queen exhibit estrus while pseudopregnant?
No
What is the luteal phase like in pseudopregnancy?
1/2 as long as gestation (35 days) which allows for a more rapid return to estrus
What is the average gestation length?
65-67 days
When is relaxin detected?
After 25 days of pregnancy
What is a very effective method of detecting pregnancy?
Palpation
When is the “string of marbles” present?
Around 17-20 days
What occurs at 25 days of pregnancy?
There is a generalized uteromegaly
When are fetal heads palpable?
At 50 days of pregnancy
When does fetal ossification occur?
At 43 days
When can you US to detect pregnancy?
16 days
When can you detect fetal heartbeats?
28 days
What is the queen like during parturition?
Often isolated or secluded
May be irritable and groom a lot prior to delivery
What time is delivery common?
Nighttime
Is a drop in temperature 12 hours prior to delivery as consistent in cats as it is in dogs?
No
How long does the entire delivery take?
Approximately 6 hours
What is the interval between kittens?
15-30 minutes
What happens to parturition if the queen is stressed?
Occasional delay of 12-48 hours
What happens during the first stage of parturition?
Nesting behavior Lasts 1-24 hours Restlessness Paw or dig at floor Grooming Vocalizing Uterine contractions Cervix dilates
What happens during the 2nd stage of parturition?
Period of active straining Delivery of kittens Anterior or posterior presentations are normal Vigorous licking of kitten Placenta is often ingested Directs kitten towards nipple Average of 1 still born per litter
What happens during the 3rd stage of parturition?
Expulsion of placenta
May have several kittens before expulsion of placentas
What may pregnancy loss be associated with?
Infectious causes
Nutritional insufficiency
Fetal chromosomal defects
Maternal hormonal aberrations
What are the infectious causes of pregnancy loss?
FeLV
FIV
FIP
Panleukopenia virus
What are causes of dystocia?
Obstruction (maternal or fetal) Uterine inertia (primary or secondary)
What is the most common cause of dystocia in the queen?
Primary uterine inertia
When should you worry during parturition?
When gestation length exceeds 71 days from first breeding
Presence of P4 level <2 ng/ml
More than 4 hours of straining before first kitten
More than 2 hours between kittens
Partial expulsion of fetus
Signs of shock in the queen
What should you do in absence of maternal compromise or obstruction?
Give oxytocin 1-3 units IM; can repeat in 30 minutes
Plan for c-section if no response
What is beneficial for passive immunity in orphaned kittens?
Colostrum
When does absorption of colostrum cease in orphaned kittens?
After 16 hours
How can you give colostrum to an orphaned kitten?
Can give 15 mls of serum SQ or intra-peritoneal over 24 hours
What must you stimulate kittens to do when hand raising them?
Stimulate to urinate and defecate
What must you watch for when hand raising kittens?
Nursing each other
What is beneficial about a non-lactating queen accepting a litter?
It will give kittens needed social and behavioral development
What is cryptorchidism?
Failure of normal testicular descent
What hormone are the spines on the penis dependent on?
Testosterone
When are the spines on the penis lost?
Within weeks of castration
Where are the testes usually located when the tom is cryptorchid?
Intra-abdominal
What can be used to check for cryptorchidism?
Spaycheck
What percent of mammary tumors are malignant?
90%
50-90% metastasize
What breed most commonly gets mammary tumors?
Siamese
What is often required with mammary tumors?
Aggressive mastectomy
What is mammary hyperplasia?
Firm, non-painful, enlarged mammary glands
What is mammary hyperplasia usually seen in?
Young cats after ovulation or during pregnancy
What is mammary hyperplasia due to?
Sensitivity to progesterone
When does mammary hyperplasia resolve?
After removal of P4 (source is ovaries)
What are treatments for mammary hyperplasia?
OVH
PGF2α
P4 antagonists
What does ovarian remnant syndrome cause?
Apparent cyclicity in spayed queens
How do you diagnose ovarian remnant syndrome?
Elevated AMH levels
What should LH levels be like in spayed cats? Cats with ORS?
Persistently high if spayed
Absent LH with ORS
What is the treatment of choice for LRS?
Surgery
When does uterine prolapse often occur?
Just after parturition
What is usually prolapsed in a uterine prolapse?
Both horns and part of the uterine body
What are the treatments for prolapse?
Amputation
Manual reduction and repositioning
Manual reduction followed by OHE
Partial manual reduction with full reduction at surgery
What does the prolapse treatment choice depend on?
Tissue health
Owner’s wish for future reproduction
What age are cats affected by pyometra?
Average of about 7 years of age
What are the clinical signs of pyometra?
Vaginal discharge Anorexia Abdominal distension Dehydration Lethargy Pyrexia
What is used to diagnose pyometra?
Signalment History (likely was in heat 4 weeks ago) PE findings Rads US Culture of discharge
What is the treatment of choice for pyometra?
OHE, always give fluids and antibiotics
Are open cervix cases an emergency?
Not always, but the queen does need prompt attention
What is medical management of pyometra valuable for?
Breeding queens with open cervix pyometra
What is used to medically manage pyometra?
Lutalyse 0.25 mg/kg SQ BID for 5 days