Effect of dietary supplementation with fructo-oligosaccharides on fecal flora of healthy cats.

Objective: To investigate changes in the fecal flora of healthy cats after dietary supplementation with fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS).

Animals: 12 healthy, barrier-maintained, specific-pathogen-free-derived adult cats.

Procedure: Fresh fecal samples for quantitative and qualitative bacteriologic examination were collected from each cat after ingestion of a replete dry (basal) diet for a minimum of 8 weeks.

Assessment of the bacterial flora of the proximal part of the small intestine in healthy cats, and the effect of sample collection method.

Objective: To investigate the bacterial flora of the proximal part of the small intestine of healthy cats and determine the effect of sample collection method on results of bacteriologic culture.

Animals: 25 healthy barrier-maintained specific-pathogen-free-derived cats.

Procedure: Aspirated, undiluted samples of proximal small intestinal juice were obtained via oral endoscopy (UEA), and a second sample was collected after instillation of 1 ml of sterile saline solution (diluted, DEA).

A clinical and microbiological study of cats with protruding nictitating membranes and diarrhoea: isolation of a novel virus.

Fifty cats with the syndrome of protruding nictitating membranes and diarrhoea were compared clinically and microbiologically with nine cats with diarrhoea alone and 17 healthy cats. A novel torovirus-like agent was isolated from 11 cats, including seven of the cats with protruding nictitating membranes and diarrhoea.