It probably will not surprise you to know that unsterilised tomcats produce more sperm during the mating season which is spring and summer. A study - believed to have been conducted in Brisbane, Australia - found that tomcats produce more sperm during the months of July and December for Brisbane. Clearly the season depends on where the cats live! For Brisbane spring is September to November.
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| Masculine-looking tomcat with jowly cheeks. Image: Pixabay. |
The scientist who conducted this experiment used electroejaculation methods which I presume means using electricity to stimulate a male cat to ejaculate sperm.
It sounds pretty upsetting to be honest but the scientists who conducted the experiment said that it did not cause any harm or discomfort.
It seems that the purpose of the study was to see whether it is possible to provide information to cat breeders about those peak moments when their male stud cat is producing more sperm than normal and which would probably enhance the breeding process.
I don't know for sure whether a breeder would find this kind of study useful. They might not because they may know instinctively when their stud cat is more fertile and more able to produce offspring. Perhaps there is no problem whatsoever in a male stud cat producing offspring but a breeder will tell you.
My report here is based upon the summary of a study carried out by I. Johnstone entitled: "Electroejaculation in the domestic cat".
The scientist, found that there was a great deal of variation between "collections from the same cat indicating the necessity for at least five collections when assessing the fertility of a tomcat."
They found that "sperm counts were higher in the latter half of the year, at the time of increased sexual activity for cats in the Brisbane area."
They say that the "results have indicated that semen volume tends to increase from July to December, thus indicating increased accessory gland activity during the breeding season."
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