With the exception of the domestic cat, all felid species (Felidae) are currently threatened with extinction in their natural habitat. To develop effective and optimal wild cat conservation programmes with assisted reproductive technology (ART) it is necessary to combine advances from different disciplines of science, starting from the biology of the species, through research into the population and habitat, assisted reproductive technologies, establishment of gene banks, developing bioinformatic systems, and ending with biodiversity and endangered species management. In the last few years knowledge of felid reproduction has expanded considerably thanks to comparative studies utilising the domestic cat as a research model for endangered wild cats. Basic reproductive techniques utilised in both domestic cat breeding and rescuing wild felid populations that are threatened with extinction include semen collection and cryopreservation, artificial insemination, oocyte collection, in vitro maturation, in vitro fertilisation, somatic cloning, and embryo transfer. The main directions in which assisted reproductive technologies are being developed in wild cat conservation implementations and the contribution of Polish research centres in advancing these methods are presented.

Hypo-osmotic swelling test (HOST) is used to assess the functional integrity of sperm plasma membranes in many species. The primary aim of this study was to test a simplified HOST procedure for the evaluation of feline semen. The second objective was to check if sperm abnormalities can influence the results of this test. Urethral semen was collected from 19 male, domestic cats. In Exp. 1, HOST was performed in different media (50 mOsm/kg fructose or distilled water), temperature (37 °C or room temperature) and time (5 and 30 min). In Exp. 2, the potential effect of sperm abnormalities on HOST results was assessed by observing individual normal and abnormal spermatozoa microinjected into droplets of distilled water. The results showed no differences between the HOST results performed in different media, temperature and time. Viable abnormal spermatozoa were able to swell under hypo-osmotic conditions in the same manner as normal ones, except spermatozoa with distal droplets, which showed a higher frequency of ‘despiralization’. In conclusion, HOST can be reliably performed at 0 mOsm/kg for 5 min at room temperature, which may contribute to a wider use of this test under clinical environments. Viable abnormal spermatozoa are able to swell under hypo-osmotic conditions; therefore, their presence in the ejaculate would not bias the results of HOST when total coiling is calculated.