Objectives Fertility and reproductive management were investigated, via questionnaires, in breeding establishments of Norwegian Forest Cats, Maine Coon, Persian and Bengal cats in Italy. Methods Six Bengal, five Maine Coon, eight Norwegian Forest Cat and seven Persian breeders responded for a total of 128 queens, 565 heats, 337 litters and 1424 kittens spanning the period 1998–2012. The mean number of queens per cattery was 4.9 ± 2.3, with primiparous queens constituting 20.5%. Of the catteries, 61.5% were indoor, with 50% of them having access to a fenced balcony. Fifteen percent of the catteries were outdoor with cat runs. No light supplementation was used in any of the catteries. Results Queens showed oestrous cycles throughout the year, although 67% of oestrous cycles occurred from January–June. Puberty occurred, on average, at 12.3 ± 7.4 months. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed routinely in only 30% of catteries. Both pregnancy length (average 64.7 ± 2.4 days, range 59–76 days) and litter size (average 4.2 ± 1.8 kittens, with 11.8% of kittens stillborn) showed some breed-specific differences; in Norwegian Forest Cats larger litter size was associated with shorter pregnancy length. Kitten mortality between birth and weaning was, on average, 14%. Stillborn kittens ( P <0.01) and kitten mortality (0.01 < P <0.05) increased with litter size. In Maine Coons and Persians, a total of 3% of parturitions occurred via caesarean section (CS); litters born via CS were larger and characterised by a greater number of stillborn kittens and kitten mortality. Conclusions and relevance No previous data concerning reproductive patterns of pedigree cats raised in Southern Europe are available. Feline reproductive management should be adjusted for latitude owing to different climate and daylight patterns that may have an impact on feline reproduction.

Deslorelin implants have been used to produce a reversible sterilization in several species. In cats, the prolonged duration (12–15 months in tomcats and 18–22 months in queen) is often too much for cat breeders who request early implant removal. The interval between implant removal and resumption of reproductive function in cats has never been investigated. Eighteen tomcats received a 4.7 mg deslorelin implant placed in the periumbilical area and surgically removed during all seasons of the year after 3, 6, or 9 months (n = 6, 6, and 6 cats, respectively). Following implant removal, all cats received a clinical exam every two weeks, including testicular ultrasonographic measurement, observation of penile spikes, and blood collection for serum testosterone assay. Restoration of serum testosterone secretion occurred after 23 ± 6, 23 ± 6, and 22 ± 7 days in the 3-, 6-, and 9-month groups, respectively. Restoration of testicular function was confirmed by histology in 13/15 cats undergoing orchiectomy at the end of the study while the owners of the remaining two cats opted to maintain their animals intact. Removal of a 4.7 mg deslorelin implant after 3, 6, or 9 months is followed by resumption of serum testosterone secretion after about 3 weeks independent of age or season.

Deslorelin is a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) super agonist 100 times more potent than endogenous GnRH (Padula, 2005) marketed as a slow-release implant for contraception of male dogs

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