Semen Collection and Assessment, and Artificial Insemination in the Cat

Introduction Both semen collection and artificial insemination (AI) in cats was first described more than 30 years ago [1] but the procedures are still not routine because very few veterinary clinics are offering these services. While the more advanced biotechnology techniques such as in vitro fertilization (IVF), intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and cloning have been successfully performed experimentally in the cat, they are not performed in practice and even the clinical application of AI is not as well developed in the cat as it has been since decades in many other domestic species [2-4]. Much of the research that has generated knowledge about assisted reproduction in the cat has been developed using the domestic cat as a model for the wild cat species that are threatened by extinction. There is, however, an increasing demand for these services among the breeders of domestic cats. The behavior of intact male cats makes them unsuitable to keep in a household. Consequently, the number of available stud cats is very small and many more females than males are used for breeding. This eventually has lead to a small genetic variation in many breeds of cats. If semen was to be frozen from genetically valuable male cats before they were castrated, the situation would be greatly improved. The use of chilled and frozen semen in an AI program would also make it easier to exchange genetic material over long distances and would, in addition, reduce the risk of transmission of infectious diseases.