Development of in vitro-fertilized (IVF) cat embryos was compared to that of naturally produced cat embryos in vivo and in vitro. To obtain in vivo-fertilized embryos, queens were mated three times daily on the second and third days of natural estrus and ovariohysterectomized at 64, 76, 100, 124, or 148 h after the first copulation. Embryos were flushed from the reproductive tract, evaluated for developmental stage, and cultured. For IVF, oocytes from gonadotropin-stimulated queens were inseminated with electroejaculated cat sperm in Ham's F-10 and evaluated for fertilization (cleavage to > or = 2 cells) at 30 h. In vitro development of embryos fertilized in vivo (n = 109) and in vitro (n = 46) was evaluated every 24 h for up to 10 days. High-quality embryos recovered at 64, 76, 100, 124, and 148 h after the first copulation were typically 1 to 2 cells (13 of 20), 5 to 8 cells (18 of 28), 9 to 16 cells (14 of 24), morulae (15 of 21), and compact morulae (11 of 18), respectively, suggesting blastomere cleavage once per day in vivo after the first three rapid cell divisions. A similar developmental rate to the morula stage (p > or = 0.05) was achieved in vitro by embryos derived from both in vitro and in vivo fertilization. Additionally, the proportion (p > or = 0.05) of in vivo-generated embryos (2 to 16 cells) that developed to morulae (64 of 83; 77.1%) was similar to that of IVF embryos (28 of 46; 60.9%). However, none of the IVF embryos (0/46), but 70.6% (77 of 109) of the in vivo-produced embryos, achieved blastocyst formation in culture (p < or = 0.05). Furthermore, 66.2% (51 of 77) of these blastocysts exhibited zona hatching. Incidence of morula and blastocyst formation in the in vivo group was influenced by stage of the embryo at collection. Embryos that were at the 9- to 16-cell stage at recovery were more likely (p < or = 0.05) to achieve morula or blastocyst status and emerge from the zona pellucida than younger-stage counterparts. In summary, the in vivo and in vitro growth rate of cat embryos produced after natural mating was comparable to that of embryos fertilized and cultured in vitro. However, developmental ability to the blastocyst stage was superior for embryos produced in vivo after natural mating.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)