Morphology and topography of internal reproductive organs in the female cat during prenatal and postnatal development: Scanning electron microscope and three‐dimensional reconstruction study

The study describes the morphology and topography of internal reproductive organs in the domestic cat from the early prenatal period to maturity, using macroscopic and scanning electron microscope ( SEM ) observations with three‐dimensional (3D) reconstructions. Fifty‐seven female cat fetuses aged between the 27th and 63rd day postconception (p.c.), two newborn cats, three juveniles (3‐month‐old) cats, and three mature (12‐month‐old) cats were used in the study. The age of fetuses was determined on the basis of the growth curve for the domestic cat. The rudiments of cat ovaries develop on the ventral surface of the mesonephroi and within 30 days p.c. move to the sides of the abdominal cavity, which is similar to the position of the ovaries in the adult cat. The mesonephroi regress at about the 50th day p.c., when the residual mesonephric ducts are still found in the lower part of the body of the uterus. The paramesonephric ducts develop on the lateral surface of the mesonephroi and by the 45th day p.c., differentiate into the uterine tubes and the uterus. The arrangement of the paramesonephric ducts in the abdominal cavity changes from the U‐ to the V‐shaped system. The final topography of the uterine tubes is established between the 54th and 60th day p.c., as the uterine tubes become convoluted. Before the 54th day p.c., the uterine horns undergo rapid elongation and convolution, forming the W‐shaped system. By the third month of postnatal life, the uterine horns become straight, as in the adult cat.