Research overview: in vitro embryo culture systems for felids

The conditions under which felid embryos are cultured after fertilization strongly affect how many develop to stages suitable for transfer or freezing. This overview surveys research on in vitro culture media and systems for cat embryos, including the nutrients, growth factors, and gas conditions that support development through cleavage to the blastocyst stage. It reviews common problems such as developmental arrest and reduced quality compared with embryos formed in vivo. The review connects culture optimization to the efficiency of the whole assisted-reproduction pipeline, from in vitro fertilization to transfer. Understanding embryo culture is essential for improving the production of viable felid embryos for conservation, since culture conditions can be a limiting bottleneck.