What Are Feline Floating Stool Tests For?

A floating stool test, or a fecal flotation test, fecal float, egg flotation or Fecalyzer test, is a veterinary in-house procedure that rules out intestinal parasites in household pets or livestock. All cats should be tested for parasites on a regular basis, even if the cat is on parasite preventative medication. Intestinal parasites may be fatal if untreated, and zoonotic parasites, such as roundworms and hookworms, infect humans and pets, alike.

  1. Schedule

    • Veterinarians recommended a regular fecal flotation test as part of your cat's annual check-up. However, you should bring in your cat to the veterinarian for an impromptu test if intestinal parasite symptoms occur. Common parasitic symptoms include weight loss, vomiting and diarrhea. Fecal flotation tests should also be performed on any new cats entering your home for the first time, or when introducing your cat to a new environment, such as a cat sitter's house.

    Types of Parasites

    • Fecal flotation tests rule out different types of parasites for cats, dogs and livestock. Cat fecal flotation tests will determine if your cat has intestinal worms, such as roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, tapeworms, capillaria, gnathostoma, physaloptera, spirometra and strongyloides. The cat fecal flotation test also detects protozoan parasites, such as toxoplasma, cryptosporidium, giardia, coccidia, besnoitia and sarcocystis. Although useful in testing for most pet parasites, fecal flotation tests only detect parasites that reside in the intestinal tract, biliary tract or lungs, and not the bloodstream, reproductive glands or kidneys.

    The Sample

    • Fecal flotation tests are an in-house veterinarian procedure, but most vets require you to bring in the cat fecal sample from your home. Otherwise, the veterinarian will perform a rectal extraction from your cat. To obtain the sample yourself, request a fecal sample cup from your veterinarian or place the sample in a sealed plastic bag. If you have multiple cats, you may need several litter box samples. It is essential that the sample is as fresh as possible, as older samples may not contain live parasites.

    The Test

    • A fecal flotation test usually requires a Fecalyzer, which is a name-brand flotation device that looks like a small, clear tube of water with a green basket at the top. The veterinarian drops the cat's fecal matter into the Fecalyzer. As the fecal matter absorbs the water in the tube, parasitic eggs float to the surface and the basket traps the sample. The veterinarian collects the basket sample and applies it to a test strip. The veterinarian identifies the parasitic egg and determines proper treatment.