Breeding Season in Female Cats Acclimated Under a Natural Photoperiod and Interval Until Puberty

Abstract

ABSTRACT. The breeding season was investigated in 174 female cats that were acclimated under a natural photoperiod, and determined the interval between birth and initial estrus (puberty) was determined in 125 cats. Although the breeding season differed noticeably among individual animals, the mean was 180.4 ± 3.0 (SE) days between the end of January and the end of July. The interval between birth and first estrus ranged from 181 to 560 days, with a mean of 345.0 ± 0.9 days. With respect to month of birth, the mean interval was 343.0 ± 9.5 days in cats born between March and June. Among cats that were born between July and October, the mean intervals were 242.0 ± 6.3 days in cats that exhibited estrus the year after birth and 519.2 ± 5.8 days in those that exhibited estrus 2 years after birth. KEY WORDS: breeding season, feline, natural photoperiod.J. Vet. Med. Sci. 66(9): 1129-1132, 2004 The domestic cat is a seasonally polyestrous animal. The onset of puberty in female cats occurs at an average age of 8 to 10 months [5,11]. Ovulation and the initial release of LH are usually observed 24 to 30 hr after copulation [15]. It has been reported that the breeding season starts in December to February, and continues until September [2,6,13]. These factors may depend on the day length, that is, latitude [4].The mechanism by which the photoperiod influences the hypothalamus pituitary gland gonadal axis system via melatonin has been clarified in cats [8,9]. In cats, when the photoperiod is shortened, melatonin and PRL secretion are enhanced, reducing ovarian function [1,8,9]. Leyva et al. [9] reported that no recurrent estrus occurred after melatonin was administered to cats under 24-hr lighting. No recurrent estrus occurs under 8-hr lighting in the cat room, whereas estrus recurs under 12-hr lighting [4,8,10,13,14]. Therefore, it is recommended that the lighting cycle should be 14 hr or more for cat breeding [10,12,14]. Nevertheless, no previous study has provided detailed data on the estrus status when cats are acclimated under a natural photoperiod. In this study, we investigated the breeding season in female cats that were acclimated as a group at a constant room temperature under a natural photoperiod. We also investigated the interval required until first estrus (puberty) in female cats that were born under those conditions. Animals: We used 103 female cats ranging in age from 2 to 8 years that were acclimated via passage breeding in our laboratory between 1989 and 2002 (latitude: 35 degrees, 42 min N). In some cats, estrus was investigated for 2 to 6 years. A total of 174 cats were investigated. The cat room was located on the second floor, and measured 4.5 × 3.0 × 2.5 (height) m. The east, west, and south sides were transparent and glass-plated. The east and west glass windows measured 3.6 × 0.9 × 0.9 (height) m. The south glass window measured 1.8 × 0.9 × 0.9 (height) m. Room temperature was 23 ± 2°C. The cats were acclimated as a group. Dry food (Hill's feline maintenance, U.S.A.) and water were given ad libitum...

Plasma Hormone Levels and Semen Quality in Male Cats during Non‐Breeding and Breeding Seasons

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