Correlation between birth season and litter size in Maine Coon cats

The domestic cat is classified as a seasonally polyestrous species whose reproductive cycles are influenced by increasing daylight duration. However, in many pedigree cat catteries, where cats coexist closely with humans, exposure to artificial light sources can substantially diminish their dependence on photoperiod cues, making them continuously polyestrous animals.

The present study aimed to evaluate the presence of natural reproductive seasonality in domesticated purebred cats in contemporary breeding systems. This analysis utilized data extracted from litter records (born between 2010 and 2023) registered with the Polish Feline Association, originating from Maine Coon queens.

The obtained data were divided into four periods: (1) queens mated during the short-day period (November to January) and gave birth in January to March; (2) queens mated during the period of increasing day length (February to April) and gave birth in April to June; (3) queens mated during the long-day period (May to July) and gave birth in July to September; and (4) queens mated during the period of decreasing day length (August to October) and gave birth in October to December. The results showed that Maine Coon queens give birth to and rear an average of five kittens per litter. The conception period had no effect on reproductive success (p = 0.40). No correlation was observed between season of the year and litter size (r = -0.017; p = 0.869), between the season in which the queen gave birth for the first time and mean lifetime litter size (r = -0.103; p = 0.311), and between litter size in the first litter and mean lifetime litter size (r = 0.185; p = 0.0684). In summary, there is no association between the breeding season and reproductive success in MCO cats.