Disease Transmission by Mating or Artificial Insemination in the Cat: Concerns and Prophylaxis by B. Ström Holst

Introduction A prerequisite for transmission of infectious diseases is that susceptible cats get into contact with the infectious agent. This might occur if the infectious agent is prevalent in the environment, but most infectious agents that infect cats are not very hardy in the environment and are transmitted mainly via direct contact between animals. When cats mate they have a very close contact. Cats living in groups share the same environment and usually also bowls and litter boxes, but when they mate, the contact between cats is closer and more intense. The queen and tom often rub their faces against each other and lick each other, facilitating transmission of infectious agents in saliva/oropharynx or the eyes (Fig. 1). When the tom grasps the neck of the queen during mating, he might also cause bite wounds, thereby getting in contact with the queen’s blood, and possible infectious agents therein. If there are infectious agents in the genital tract or in semen, these may also be transmitted during mating.