Influence of the type of higher nervous activity on seminal physiological characteristics in cats of Russian breeds

Abstract

Temperament has a significant impact on reproductive function. Most studies are devoted to temperament as a mental characteristic, and the sexual temperament of cats and its influence on physiological characteristics of sperm have not been studied at all. The aim of the research was to study physiological features of reproductive function in cats of Russian breeds depending on sexual temperament. The experiments were carried out in Moscow and the Moscow region from 2019 to 2022. The study used 21 breeding mature cats aged 2 to 8 years, which belonged to 5 different Russian breeds (Bengal breed - 5 cats, British shorthair - 5 cats, Siberian breed - 6 cats, Maine Coon - 5 cats, Sphinx - 5 cats). The sexual temperament of cats was determined according to our methodology developed on the basis of modification of the method for determining the sexual temperament for stallions. Mobility of native sperm was the lowest in cats with a weak nervous system, which is 1.17 % less than mobility of sperm in animals with an unbalanced nervous system, 7.36 % less (P 0.01) compared to physiological mobility of newly acquired sperm in an inert nervous system and 9.71 % less than activity of sperm in cats with a sanguine temperament. The highest concentration of sperm was in cats with live sexual temperament, which was 3.02 million/ml more (P 0.05) than in cats with unrestrained type of temperament, 43.09 million/ml more (P 0.01) than in cats with calm sexual temperament and 56.74 million/ ml more (P 0.01) than in cats with weak sexual temperament. Sperm motility after thawing was higher in cats with inert temperament, which was 5.06 % more (P 0.01) compared to cats with mobile temperament and weak nervous system and 9.1 % more (P 0.001) than in unbalanced cats. Survivability of germ cells in Russian cats at 38 C after defrosting was greatest in live sexual temperament cats, which was 0.22 hours more in comparison with calm sexual temperament cats, 0.62 hours more (P 0.01) than in cats with weak sexual temperament and 0.91 hours more than in cats with unrestrained sexual temperament.