Reproductive Organs in Queen Cats
Reproductive organs in queen cats are ovaries, oviduct, uterus, vagina, vestibule, mammary glands, etc.
Reproductive organs in queen cats are:
- Ovaries
- Oviduct
- Uterus
- Vagina
- Vestibule
- Vulva
- Mammary Glands
Ovaries
The ovaries of the adult queen are:
- Oval structures
- Approximately 1.0 x 0.3 x 0.5 cm in size
- 220 mg in weight
- Located in the dorsal abdomen caudal to the kidneys attached to the diaphragm by the suspensory ligament, to the dorsal body wall by the mesovarium, and to the end of the uterine horn by the short, thick proper ligament of the ovary
- Enclosed by the ovarian bursa that has a small slit-like opening on the medial side
The queen is an induced ovulator. Copulation, vaginal stimulation, or gonadotropin administration induces ovulation within approximately 24 to 32 hours.
Corpora lutea, which form after ovulation, appear orange-yellow grossly and may reach 4.5 mm in diameter, peaking in size about 16 days after ovulation.
Oviduct
- The uterine tube (oviduct) of the adult queen is 5 to 6 cm in length
- The wall of the uterine tube is thin, and the lining is thrown up into longitudinal folds or ridges.
Uterus
The uterus of the adult queen is a Y-shaped organ consisting of a 2-cm-long body lying between the descending colon dorsally and the urinary bladder ventrally and two 10-cm uterine tubes (oviducts). The cervix is the thick-walled neck of the uterus, connecting it to the vagina.
Vagina
The vagina and the vestibule are each about 2 cm long , so that the cervix is located about 40 to 45 mm cranial to the vulva; in pregnancy the vagina is stretched cranially by the weight of the uterus.
Vestibule
The vestibule extends from just cranial to the external urethral cranially, to the vulva caudally, a distance of about 2 cm.
The external urethral orifice in the cat opens into a mucosal groove located on the floor of the vestibule just caudal to a transverse fold of mucosa that represents the hymen.
Vulva
The vulva of the adult queen consists of two small, round labia located just below the anus, which unite at dorsal and ventral commissures
The labia are similar in spayed than in intact cats. During estrus the labia are slightly edematous and reddened, vulvar discharge is negligible.
Mammary Glands
The queen has four pairs of mammary glands, arranged in two bilaterally symmetrical rows from the ventral thoracic to ventral abdominal region.
They have been designated as:
- the right and left axillary.
- thoracic.
- abdominal.
- and inguinal mammary glands.
Also designated as right and left mammary glands 1,2,3 and 4 when counting from cranial to caudal.
