Feline tract with corpora lutea
Key words: ovary, CL, corpora, lutea, uterus, feline, cat
Image size: 1200 x 671 px
The uterus and ovaries of a mature, cycling queen (female cat). Because of the absence of an ovarian bursa, one is able to see corpora lutea once the tract has been removed; this is not possible in bitches. On the right-hand side of this image, an ovary has been transected to show four corpora lutea. Queens usually ovulate only 4 or 5 oocytes, a number that closely parallels the average litter size in this species.
The absence of an ovarian bursa also allows small pieces of the ovary to fracture off the main structure during ovariectomy and to implant in the abdomen. This is a cause of the ovarian remnant syndrome in cats.
