Cat Development

Embryology - 18 Apr 2024        Expand to Translate
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Introduction

Cat with 6 toes

Cats (Felis catus) are seasonally polyestrous animals that have multiple estrous cycles only during certain periods of the year.

The cat genome was initially sequenced in 2007 and has been recently annotated in August 2014.

Some Recent Findings

Follicular growth monitoring in the female cat during estrus "This study was designed to describe follicular dynamics by transabdominal ultrasonography. Secondly, the stage of follicular growth was associated to behavioral and vaginal changes. Ovarian ultrasonography was performed during nine anovulatory and 12 ovulatory cycles. Forty-eight follicles were followed during anovulatory cycles: on the first day of estrus behavior, 4.8 ± 0.2 follicles (2 to 7 per female) of 2.3 ± 0.01 mm mean diameter were present. Follicular growth continued at a rate of 0.2 ± 0.04 mm per day. At least one follicle in the cohort reached a diameter greater than 3.0 mm." Development of external genitalia in fetal and neonatal domestic cats "The female urogenital folds budded from each side of the genital tubercle and, gradually extended to the tip of the genital tubercle by the 6.8 cm stage in crown-rump length. Then, the well-developed urogenital folds ensheathed completely the genital tubercle to form the prepuce of clitoris and the labia, flanking the external opening of vagina as the folds of skin which were equivalent to the labia minora in humans. The genital swellings known to become the labia majora in humans were clearly recognized in the caudolateral region of the genital tubercle during the fetal stage. These swellings became flat and obscure after birth. Thus, in cats the genital swellings did not join to the formation of the labia in the same way as in humans. The sex difference in the external genitalia was first observed at the 3.2-3.3 cm stages. In the male, the anogenital raphe appeared and the caudal portion of the genital swellings moved and fused each other at the caudal region of the genital tubercle. In the female, both features were not easy to observe."

More recent papers

This table allows an automated computer search of the external PubMed database using the listed "Search term" text link. This search now requires a manual link as the original PubMed extension has been disabled. The displayed list of references do not reflect any editorial selection of material based on content or relevance. References also appear on this list based upon the date of the actual page viewing. References listed on the rest of the content page and the associated discussion page (listed under the publication year sub-headings) do include some editorial selection based upon both relevance and availability. More? References | Discussion Page | Journal Searches | 2019 References | 2020 References Search term: Cat Embryology <pubmed limit=5>Cat Embryology</pubmed>

Developmental Timeline

PMID20003339

Twenty-two stages have been described for the prenatal development of the domestic cat.

The following data on early development is based upon the time after copulation oviduct embryo development

• 64 hours - 1 to 4 cells (17 of 20; 85.0%)

• 76 hours - 5 to 8 cells (18 of 28; 64.3% )

• 100 hours - 9 to 16 cells (14 of 24; 58.3%)

• 124 hours - morulae (15 of 21; 71.4% )

uterine embryo development

• 148 hours - compact morulae or early blastocysts

• days 12-14 - implantation occurs

Historic Development

1924 Cat Development: 1. Ovum of the Cat | 2. Process of Cleavage | 3. Formation of the Blastocyst | 4. Discussion | Plates | cat

Cat Ovary

Oocyte and Spermatozoa

The following scanning electron micrographs are from a recent paper on fresh and frozen cat oocytes. Scale bar is 10 microns.

Genetics

Lineage: Eukaryota; Opisthokonta; Metazoa; Eumetazoa; Bilateria; Coelomata; Deuterostomia; Chordata; Craniata; Vertebrata; Gnathostomata; Teleostomi; Euteleostomi; Sarcopterygii; Tetrapoda; Amniota; Mammalia; Theria; Eutheria; Laurasiatheria; Carnivora; Feliformia; Felidae; Felinae; Felis; Felis catus

The cat genome was initially sequenced in 2007 and has been recently annotated in August 2014.

• Mitochondria - entire mitochondrial genome 17,009 bp has been sequenced.

Links: Genome Mitochondrial Genome

Early Development

Hill JP. and Tribe M. The early development of the cat (Felis domestica). (1924) Quart. J. Microsc. Sci., 68: 513-602.

Hill and Tribe in 1924 wrote a detailed description of oocyte to blastocyst development in the cat.

Placenta

• zonary placenta without cotyledons
• relatively small marginal hematoma
• materno-fetal barrier is endothelial-chorial
• superficially invasive into the endometrium but not into the myometrium
• placental labryrinth has characteristic giant cells

Placental cord

• two pairs of vessels in the cord
  • two arteries and two veins
• allantoic duct
• cord average length 2 to 3 cm and 0.3 to 0.5 cm in diameter
• inserts at the margin of the zonary organ
• no spirals, no vitelline duct, and no additional vessels or structures

Links: Comparative Placentation - Cat

Additional Images

Historic Images

Historic Disclaimer - information about historic embryology pages

Pages where the terms "Historic" (textbooks, papers, people, recommendations) appear on this site, and sections within pages where this disclaimer appears, indicate that the content and scientific understanding are specific to the time of publication. This means that while some scientific descriptions are still accurate, the terminology and interpretation of the developmental mechanisms reflect the understanding at the time of original publication and those of the preceding periods, these terms, interpretations and recommendations may not reflect our current scientific understanding.     (More? Embryology History | Historic Embryology Papers)

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  Fig. 210. Normal well-preserved cat fetus

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  Fig. 211. Normal poorly preserved cat fetus of approximately the same length

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  Plate 4. Cat Fetus and Placenta

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  Fig. 297. Transverse section through the thoracic region of a cat embryo of 25 mm

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  Fig. 331. Sections of a cat's ovary.

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  Fig. 903. Cat cochlear duct and ganglia

References

Articles

Inomata T, Ninomiya H, Sakita K, Kashiwazaki N, Ito J, Ariga M & Inoue S. (2009). Developmental changes of Müllerian and Wolffian ducts in domestic cat fetuses. Exp. Anim. , 58, 41-5. PMID: 19151510

Inomata T, Ariga M, Sakita K, Kashiwazaki N, Ito J, Yokoh K, Ichikawa M, Ninomiya H & Inoue S. (2009). Development of external genitalia in fetal and neonatal domestic cats. J. Vet. Med. Sci. , 71, 139-45. PMID: 19262023

Ciani F, Cocchia N, Rizzo M, Ponzio P, Tortora G, Avallone L & Lorizio R. (2008). Sex determining of cat embryo and some feline species. Zygote , 16, 169-77. PMID: 18405438 DOI.

França LR & Godinho CL. (2003). Testis morphometry, seminiferous epithelium cycle length, and daily sperm production in domestic cats (Felis catus). Biol. Reprod. , 68, 1554-61. PMID: 12606460 DOI.

Knospe C. (2002). Periods and stages of the prenatal development of the domestic cat. Anat Histol Embryol , 31, 37-51. PMID: 11841356

Hill JP. and Tribe M. The early development of the cat (Felis domestica). (1924) Quart. J. Microsc. Sci., 68: 513-602.

Hill, J. P., and Tribe, M. 1924. The early development of the cat (Felis domestica). Quart. J. Microsc. Sci, 68, 513-602.

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Cite this page: Hill, M.A. (2024, April 18) Embryology Cat Development. Retrieved from https://embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/embryology/index.php/Cat_Development

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© Dr Mark Hill 2024, UNSW Embryology ISBN: 978 0 7334 2609 4 - UNSW CRICOS Provider Code No. 00098G