Feline Reproduction Flashcards
Puberty
Average 5-9 months
- free roaming cats cycle sooner
- group housing or intro of tom or queen in estrus will hasten onset of puberty
Puberty is affected by
- breed
- photoperiod (long day breeders, cycle in spring/summer)
- body weight
- body condition
Seasonality
Seasonlly polyestrus
- cycle Feb-Sept
- period of anestrus during Oct-Jan
Cats will display estrus every 14 days unless
- pregnancy
- pseudopregnancy (30-50 days)
- sterilization
- illness
Proestrus
Attractive but not receptive
- period of rapid ovarian growth
- typical behavior, subtle signs are difficult to detect
- duration: 12 hours to 3 days
Estrus
Period of sexual receptivity
- duration: 4-7 days
- estradiol peaks
- edematous labia or scant discharge
- queen vocalizes and calls to tom
- assumes lordosis stance in presence of tom
- stance elicited by stroking queen’s back
Interestrus
Cats don’t ovulate every cycle
- induced ovulators!
- period of sexual inactivity between follicular waves
- lasts on average 1-3 weeks
Diestrus
Only occurs if ovulation occurs!
- CLs form within 48 hrs of ovulation
- remain functional for 45 days if not pregnant, 57 days if pregnant
- CL then regresses and a normal interestrous interval follows
Outcome of induction of ovulation
- -> pregnancy (63-66 days)
- -> pseudopregnancy (40-50 days) –> estrus
No induction of ovulation
Interestrous (8 days) –> estrus
Anestrus
Period of sexual rest
- Oct-Jan in free roaming cats
- can be manipulated with lighting
Peak reproductive activity occurs between ______
- 5-8 years of age
- average 2-3 litters/year
- average 3-4 kittens/litter
- old and young cats will cycle irregularly and are prone to small litters and more stillbirths
Male tortoishell or calico
Rare (1:3000)
- infertile
- genes for orange or black hair are found on X chromosome –> if male is born both orange and black, then he must be XXY (infertile)
Breeding behavior
Occurs at night
- vocalization is common
- courtship is brief (10 sec-5 min)
- tom grasps queen’s neck with teeth –> grips queen side with forelegs
- intromission and ejaculation occur within a few days
Post coital reaction by queen
Lasts several minutes
- queen will scream
- attach tom
- rolls on ground
- licks vaginal area
- may have additional matings after 20-30 minutes
How to determine if queen is ready to be bred?
- cytology is marginally helpful
- P4 is NOT helpful due to induced ovulation
- bring estrous queen to tom and observe for receptivity
- breed over 1-3 days (2 hours daily)
- observe matings to ensure mating is occurring
Ovulation
Queen is induced ovulator, mechanical stimulation or copulation is required
- within minutes LH is released from pituitary
- multiple matings increase LH levels
- ovulation in 25-30 hours
- ovulation occasionally induced by stroking the queen or presence of a tom
Pseudopregnancy
Ovulation occurs without pregnancy
- will not exhibit estrus while pseudopregnant
- luteal phase 1/2 as long as gestation (35 days) which allows for more rapid return to estrus
- clinical signs of pseudopregnancy is rare in queen!
Pregnancy diagnosis
- gestation: 65-67 days
- relaxin detected after 25 days of pregnancy
- palpation is effective, string of marbles around 17-20 days
- 25 days: generalized uteromegaly
- 50 days: fetal heads palpable
- 43 days: fetal ossification
- US at 16 days with fetal heartbeat at 28 days
Relaxin
Produced by placenta
- is a reliable blood test
Parturition
Queens are isolated or secluded
- nighttime delivery is common
- may be irritable and groom a lot prior to delivery
- drop in temp 12 hours prior to delivery is not as consistent as in dogs
- delivery takes 6 hours (variable)
- 15-30 min interval between kittens
- delay of 12-48 hours if stressed
- dystocia is rare!
1st stage of parturition
- nesting behavior
- lasts 1-24 horus
- restlessness
- paw or dig at floor
- grooming
- vocalizing
- uterine contractions
- cervix dilates
2nd stage of parturition
- period of active straining
- delivery of kittens
- anterior or posterior presentations are normal
- vigorous licking of kitten
- placenta often ingested
- directs kitten towards nipple
- average 1 stillborn/litter
3rd stage of parturition
- expulsion of placenta
- may have several kittens before expulsion of placentas
Pregnancy loss associated with
- infectious causes
- nutritional insufficiency
- fetal chromosomal defects
- maternal hormonal aberrations
Infectious causes
- FeLV
- FIV
- FIP
- panleukopenia virus (cerebellar hypoplasia)
Causes of dystocia
- obstruction (maternal or fetal)
- uterine inertia - primary (fail to initiate stage 1) or secondary (uterine fatigue)
When should you worry
- when gestation length exceeds 71 days from first breeding
- presence of P4 <2 ng/ml
- more than 4 hrs of straining before first kitten
- more than 2 hrs between kittens
- partial expulsion of fetus
- signs of shock in the queen
In the absence of maternal compromise or obstruction
- give oxytocin 1-3 units IM (can repeat in 30 min)
- will resolve 1/3 cases
- plan for c section if no response
Orphaned kittens
- colostrum is beneficial for passive immunity
- absorption ceases after 16 hours
- give 15 mls of serum SQ or intraperitoneal over 24 hrs (should be from immunized cat that is FIV/FeLV negative)
Hand raising kittens
- use foster queen
- formulas designed for kittens every 2 hours
- must stimulate kitten to urinate and defecate as in puppies
- watch for kittens nursing each other
- non-lactating queen may accept litter to give kittens social and behavioral development
Cryptorchidism
Failure of normal testicular descent
- spines on penis are testosterone dependent, lost within weeks of castration
- testes will be intra-abdominal
- use spaycheck as with ovarian remnant syndrome (measure anti-mullerian hormone, which will be high in cryptorchids)
Mammary tumors
90% are malignant (especially in older cats)
- 3rd most common tumor in cats
- siamese are overrepresented
- OVH is not as protective as in dogs
- aggressive mastectomy is required
- look for metastisis (50-90%)
Mammary hyperplasia
Firm, non-painful, enlarged mammary glands
- ulcerated
- seen in young cats after ovulation or during pregnancy
- sensitivity to progesterone
- resolves after removal of P4
- OVH, PGF2alpha, P4 antagonists or a flank spay
Ovarian remnant syndrom
Lack an ovarian bursa that covers the ovary
- cells are easily exfoliated and seeded
- causes apparent cyclicity in spayed females
- elevated AMH levels
- eleveated P4 after induction of ovulation
- surgery
LH levels should be persistently high in ______
Spayed cats
- absent LH = ORS
Uterine prolapse
Occurs just after parturition
- usually both horns and part of uterine body are prolapsed
- queens may be normal to very ill depending on time until treatment
Prolapse treatment
- amputation
- manual reduction and repositioning
- follow with OHE
- partial manual reduction with full reduction at surgery
- choice depends on: tissue health, owner’s wish for future repro
Pyometra
Affects cats 7 years of age
- vaginal discharge
- anorexia
- abdominal distension
- dehydration
- lethargy
- pyrexia
Diagnosis of pyometra
- signalment
- history (was in heat 4 weeks ago)
- physical exam
- rads
- ultrasound
- culture of discharge
Treatment of pyometra
OHE is gold standard!
- always give fluids and antibiotics
- open cervix cases are not always an emergency
- medical management only for breeding queens with open pyometra –> lutalyse BID x 5 days, 90% will breed successfully after treatment
