Feline Reproduction Flashcards
(100 cards)
1
Q
What is the average age of puberty?
A
5-9 months
2
Q
What is puberty affected by?
A
Breed
Photoperiod (long day breeders)
Body weight
Body condition
3
Q
What cats cycle sooner?
A
Free roaming
Group housing or the intro of tom or queen in estrus
4
Q
What is the seaonality of cats?
A
Seasonally polyestrus
5
Q
When do cats cycle?
A
February to September (long day breeders)
6
Q
When do cats have a period of anestrus?
A
October to January (short days_
7
Q
How often will cats display estrus?
A
Every 14 days
8
Q
Why may a cat not display estrus?
A
Pregnancy
Pseudopregnancy (30-50 days)
Sterilization
Illness
9
Q
What is the queen like during proestrus?
A
Attractive, but not receptive
Signs can be difficult to detect
10
Q
What is proestrus?
A
Period of rapid ovarian growth
11
Q
What is the duration of proestrus?
A
12 hours to 3 days
12
Q
What is estrus?
A
Period of sexual receptivity
13
Q
What is the duration of estrus?
A
4-7 days
14
Q
What hormone peaks during estrus?
A
Estradiol
15
Q
What may you see during estrus?
A
Edematous labia
Scant discharge
16
Q
What does the queen do during estrus?
A
Vocalizes and calls to tom
Assumes lordosis stance in the presence of tom
17
Q
How is the lordosis stance elicited?
A
Stroking queen’s back
18
Q
What is interestrus?
A
Cats don’t ovulate every cycle as they are induced ovulators
Period of sexual inactivity during follicular waves
19
Q
What is the duration of interestrus?
A
Average of 1-3 weeks
20
Q
When does diestrus occur?
A
Only if ovulation occurs
21
Q
When do CLs form during diestrus?
A
Within 48 hours of ovulation
22
Q
How long do CLs remain functional?
A
45 days if not pregnant
57 days if pregnant
23
Q
What happens to thee CL if the queen is not pregnant?
A
Regresses and a normal interestrous interval follows
24
Q
What is anestrus?
A
Period of sexual rest
25
When is anestrus?
October to January in free roaming cats
26
What can anestrus be manipulated with?
Lighting
27
When does peak reproductive activity occur?
Between 1.5 to 8 years of age
28
What is the average number of litters per year?
2-3
29
What is the average number of kittens per litter?
3-4
30
What is the fertility of old and young cats?
They will cycle irregularly and are prone to small litters and more stillbirths
31
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
32
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
```
33
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
```
34
When can additional matings occur?
After 20-30 minutes
35
Is cytology helpful prior to breeding? P4 level?
Cytology is marginally helpful
| P4 level is not helpful
36
When should breeding occur?
Over 1-3 days, 2 hours daily
37
What is required for ovulation?
Mechanical stimulation or copulation (induced ovulator)
38
What happens once mating occurs?
LH is released from the pituitary within minutes
| Multiple matings increase LH levels
39
When does ovulation occur?
25-30 hours after mating
40
What is pseudopregnancy?
Ovulation occurs without pregnancy
41
Will the queen exhibit estrus while pseudopregnant?
No
42
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
43
What is the average gestation length?
65-67 days
44
When is relaxin detected?
After 25 days of pregnancy
45
What is a very effective method of detecting pregnancy?
Palpation
46
When is the "string of marbles" present?
Around 17-20 days
47
What occurs at 25 days of pregnancy?
There is a generalized uteromegaly
48
When are fetal heads palpable?
At 50 days of pregnancy
49
When does fetal ossification occur?
At 43 days
50
When can you US to detect pregnancy?
16 days
51
When can you detect fetal heartbeats?
28 days
52
What is the queen like during parturition?
Often isolated or secluded
| May be irritable and groom a lot prior to delivery
53
What time is delivery common?
Nighttime
54
Is a drop in temperature 12 hours prior to delivery as consistent in cats as it is in dogs?
No
55
How long does the entire delivery take?
Approximately 6 hours
56
What is the interval between kittens?
15-30 minutes
57
What happens to parturition if the queen is stressed?
Occasional delay of 12-48 hours
58
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
```
59
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
```
60
What happens during the 3rd stage of parturition?
Expulsion of placenta
| May have several kittens before expulsion of placentas
61
What may pregnancy loss be associated with?
Infectious causes
Nutritional insufficiency
Fetal chromosomal defects
Maternal hormonal aberrations
62
What are the infectious causes of pregnancy loss?
FeLV
FIV
FIP
Panleukopenia virus
63
What are causes of dystocia?
```
Obstruction (maternal or fetal)
Uterine inertia (primary or secondary)
```
64
What is the most common cause of dystocia in the queen?
Primary uterine inertia
65
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
66
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
67
What is beneficial for passive immunity in orphaned kittens?
Colostrum
68
When does absorption of colostrum cease in orphaned kittens?
After 16 hours
69
How can you give colostrum to an orphaned kitten?
Can give 15 mls of serum SQ or intra-peritoneal over 24 hours
70
What must you stimulate kittens to do when hand raising them?
Stimulate to urinate and defecate
71
What must you watch for when hand raising kittens?
Nursing each other
72
What is beneficial about a non-lactating queen accepting a litter?
It will give kittens needed social and behavioral development
73
What is cryptorchidism?
Failure of normal testicular descent
74
What hormone are the spines on the penis dependent on?
Testosterone
75
When are the spines on the penis lost?
Within weeks of castration
76
Where are the testes usually located when the tom is cryptorchid?
Intra-abdominal
77
What can be used to check for cryptorchidism?
Spaycheck
78
What percent of mammary tumors are malignant?
90%
| 50-90% metastasize
79
What breed most commonly gets mammary tumors?
Siamese
80
What is often required with mammary tumors?
Aggressive mastectomy
81
What is mammary hyperplasia?
Firm, non-painful, enlarged mammary glands
82
What is mammary hyperplasia usually seen in?
Young cats after ovulation or during pregnancy
83
What is mammary hyperplasia due to?
Sensitivity to progesterone
84
When does mammary hyperplasia resolve?
After removal of P4 (source is ovaries)
85
What are treatments for mammary hyperplasia?
OVH
PGF2α
P4 antagonists
86
What does ovarian remnant syndrome cause?
Apparent cyclicity in spayed queens
87
How do you diagnose ovarian remnant syndrome?
Elevated AMH levels
88
What should LH levels be like in spayed cats? Cats with ORS?
Persistently high if spayed
| Absent LH with ORS
89
What is the treatment of choice for LRS?
Surgery
90
When does uterine prolapse often occur?
Just after parturition
91
What is usually prolapsed in a uterine prolapse?
Both horns and part of the uterine body
92
What are the treatments for prolapse?
Amputation
Manual reduction and repositioning
Manual reduction followed by OHE
Partial manual reduction with full reduction at surgery
93
What does the prolapse treatment choice depend on?
Tissue health
| Owner's wish for future reproduction
94
What age are cats affected by pyometra?
Average of about 7 years of age
95
What are the clinical signs of pyometra?
```
Vaginal discharge
Anorexia
Abdominal distension
Dehydration
Lethargy
Pyrexia
```
96
What is used to diagnose pyometra?
```
Signalment
History (likely was in heat 4 weeks ago)
PE findings
Rads
US
Culture of discharge
```
97
What is the treatment of choice for pyometra?
OHE, always give fluids and antibiotics
98
Are open cervix cases an emergency?
Not always, but the queen does need prompt attention
99
What is medical management of pyometra valuable for?
Breeding queens with open cervix pyometra
100
What is used to medically manage pyometra?
Lutalyse 0.25 mg/kg SQ BID for 5 days
