Research overview: the luteinizing hormone surge and mating stimulus in felids

The release of mature eggs in cats depends on a surge of luteinizing hormone from the pituitary, which in most species is evoked by the sensory stimulus of mating. This overview describes how the magnitude and duration of the luteinizing hormone surge relate to the number of copulations and the resulting likelihood of ovulation and corpus luteum formation. It draws on studies that sampled hormones around mating to map the timing from stimulus to surge to ovulation. Understanding these dynamics is essential for assisted reproduction, where gonadotropin-releasing hormone or human chorionic gonadotropin is used to substitute for the natural mating stimulus, and for interpreting why some matings fail to produce pregnancies despite apparently normal behavior.