Figure 2.

(a) A liquid feces sample can be obtained from the proximal colon by inserting a red rubber catheter into the colon and gently introducing around 10 ml of sterile saline and then re-aspirating the sample. The authors refer to this as a ‘colon flush’. A video demonstrating how to perform a colon flush to collect feces for Tritrichomonas species testing can be viewed at JodyGookin.com. (b) A typical ‘kit’ for performing a colon flush, which includes a red rubber catheter, catheter-to-syringe adapter, syringe with 10 ml of saline, lubricant, microscope slides and coverslips. (c) A fecal loop can be inserted into the anus. As long as the loop passes with ease and the cat is cooperative, the loop can be passed as far as the proximal colon (insertion distance shown by holding the fecal loop alongside the cat). (d) A freshly voided fecal sample from a cat with diarrhea (note the lack of form, and presence of mucus and fresh blood)