Archives

Page No. : 47-49

ABSTRACT

The present work was carried out to study the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites in domestic cats of Mumbai city. Freshly voided faecal samples were collected from cats admitted to the hospital of Bombay Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BSPCA), Mumbai from August, 2012 to October, 2012. Samples were screened for helminthic eggs and protozoan cyst/ oocysts using sedimentation and flotation techniques. Out of 72 samples screened, 52 samples showed either single or mixed parasitic infestations. Overall prevalence of the parasitic infestation in cats was found to be 72%. The prevalence of Ancylostoma spp. (52.78%) was found to be highest, followed by Toxocara cati (26.38%), Isospora revolta (18.05%), Isospora felis (13.89%), Taenia spp. (4.16%) and Spirometra spp. (2.7%). Concurrent infestation with two or more parasites was recorded in 34.72% of samples. Species of Isospora were further differentiated based on the morphology and morphometry of oocysts. Cross sectional study showed higher prevalence of helminthic infestation in young cats than the adult cats. Hookworm and Toxocara cati were the predominant parasite species encountered during the study. Keeping in view the public health significance of zoonotic parasites in cat feces, education/ awareness of the public about the safe disposal of cat feces is advocated.

Keywords: Cat, faeces, gastrointestinal parasites, prevalence