Behavioral, hormonal, and testicular histological study to evaluate the effect of season on mating in local breed free housing tom cats in Al-Diwaniya city

The current study was conducted in the center of Al-Diwaniya city, Al-Qadisiya province in Iraq during a period of one year from (15/1/2012 to 15/1/2013) divided according to the sexual activity of males into three periods: the 1st period extended from mid of January to February, the 2nd period from February to November, and the 3rd period from November to mid of January. During these entire periods forty seven male local breed cats, (ten for each of the 1st and 3rd periods, while the other twenty-seven were included in the 2nd period). All males were monitoring during the night and early morning to evaluate the behaviors, and then hunted to evaluate hormonal and histological changes in the male genital system. The results of behavioral study during the 1st period revealed that the male showed caterwaul sound, urination and following of the females with foreplay but without mating; in the 2nd period the same notes were observed with a huge desire to mating and obligating females for mating; the behaviors in the 3rd period were as the same of the 1st period. The ratios of the studied periods during the year were (4.16%, 75%, and 20.84%) respectively. The results of the hormonal assay revealed that the testosterone levels were (0.42, 1.31 and 0.35 ng/ml) for the three periods of study respectively, while the LH concentrations were (1.31, 4.86 and 1.23 ng/ml) respectively. The histological study of testis showed that the seminiferous tubules characterized by very active vacuolated Sertoli cells filled with secretions with a presence of all developmental stages of spermatogenesis, while the 1st and 3rd period characterized by thickening of connective tissue and peritubular tissue as well as not all developmental stages of spermatogenesis