Animal Reproduction and Health

A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 433

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Canine Science, Guide Dogs National Centre, Banbury Road, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire CV33 9WF, UK
Interests: canine; dog; health; reproduction; disease; guide dog; assistance dog
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
1. Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), Institute for Innovation, Capacity Building and Sustainability of Agri-Food Production (Inov4Agro), University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal
2. Comprehensive Health Research Center (CHRC), University of Évora, 7004-516 Évora, Portugal
3. Department of Zootechnics, School of Sciences and Technology, University of Évora, 7004-516 Évora, Portugal
Interests: veterinary medicine; experimental animal models; lifestyle; tumor angiogenesis; natural compounds; animal welfare
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We would like to invite you to contribute to our Special Issue on “Animal Reproduction and Health”. Increased research is vital to advancing our understanding and knowledge so that we can effectively manage animals, promote optimum health and wellbeing, and maximise animal welfare.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to present the latest research in the field of animal reproduction and health, and we welcome original research articles and reviews that cover a wide range of themes, including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Heritability of disease;
  • Reproduction control, especially advances in our understanding of the use of alternative methods of reproduction control for animals;
  • Reproductive disease;
  • Epidemiology of disease;
  • Management of disease in large populations of animals;
  • Reproductive performance: maximising reproductive potential, animal health and survival;
  • Fertility;
  • Advances in diagnostics and treatment;
  • Pregnancy and lactation;
  • Neonatal care;
  • Growth and development.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Rachel Moxon
Dr. Ana Faustino
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • animal
  • reproduction
  • genetics
  • heritability
  • disease
  • fertility
  • sperm
  • health
  • pregnancy
  • neonatal health and development
  • microbiome health and development

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

14 pages, 474 KiB  
Article
Reproductive Results of Selected Cat Breeds
by Wojciech Wójcik and Marta Piechowska
Life 2025, 15(7), 1128; https://doi.org/10.3390/life15071128 - 17 Jul 2025
Viewed by 194
Abstract
The main goal of purebred cat breeding is to produce healthy offspring while maintaining breed purity. Pedigree cat breeders are affiliated with international federations that enforce similar breeding regulations, which helps prevent the overexploitation of cats in breeding. The minimum age for allowing [...] Read more.
The main goal of purebred cat breeding is to produce healthy offspring while maintaining breed purity. Pedigree cat breeders are affiliated with international federations that enforce similar breeding regulations, which helps prevent the overexploitation of cats in breeding. The minimum age for allowing a cat to breed is at least 10 months. This study aimed to analyze the breeding performance of three cat breeds: Maine Coon (MCO), British Shorthair (BSH), and Devon Rex (DRX). These breeds are classified as late-maturing (MCO), medium-late maturing (BSH), and early-maturing (DRX). The analysis was based on pedigree data obtained from the Polish Felinological Association, which operates under the auspices of the World Cat Federation. In total, data from 1016 litters (453 MCO, 453 BSH, and 110 DRX) were analyzed. Breeds differed significantly in age at first birth (p = 0.041), mean interval between litters (p < 0.01), and mean number of kittens per litter (p < 0.01). Breed effects were also noted for the mean interval between births (p < 0.01), mean number of kittens per litter (p < 0.01), and the total number of kittens sired by the mother (p = 0.007). Within each breed, differences were found in the sex ratio of litters, with a predominance of males in DRX (p = 0.049), MCO (p = 0.003), and overall breeds (p = 0.036). In contrast, the BSH breed showed no significant difference in the sex ratio of litters (p = 0.455). In both the MCO and DRX breeds, the lowest average interval between litters was observed in females that gave birth to their first litter early compared to those that gave birth later. The total number of kittens raised by the mother was highest in the MCO breed (p ≤ 0.05), while the shortest litter spacing was found in the DRX breed (p ≤ 0.05). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Animal Reproduction and Health)
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