Abstract

Gastrointestinal parasites are a major source of disease in cats in the tropics and are a major cause of public health problems in many parts of the world. This study was conducted to investigate the intestinal parasites of domestic cats and infection rates according to the age of the animal. Fifty fecal samples were collected from domestic cats in Mosul city during the period from October 2019 Until the end of January 2020. Eleven species of intestinal parasite were identified in the feces of domestic cats included three genera of Nematodes: Toxocara cati (16%), Toxascaris leonina (8%), Ancylostoma tubaeforme (8%), two genera of Cestodes: Taenia caniforms (4%), Diphylobothrium latum (2%), one genus of the Trematodes: Schistosoma intercalatum (2%) and five species of intestinal protozoa: Isospora felis (32%), Isospora rivolta (28%), Cryptosporidium spp. (10%), Entamoeba coli (12%), Toxoplasma like oocyst (6%). The total infection with intestinal parasites was (64%). The highest rate of infection was Isospora felis (32%), followed by Isospora rivolta (28%). This is the first record of the Isospora genus in the Mosul city, also recorded in this study for the first time in Iraq, the infection of cats with the parasite Schistosoma intercalatum (2%) and the infection with Entamoeba coli (12%) is the first record in the Mosul city. No significant differences were observed in the infection rates with different parasites between the age groups of animals and between the types of infection with different species of intestinal parasites in domestic cats.

Key words: Intestinal parasites, Nematodes, Protozoa, Domestic cats, Mosul city.