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Vetdle Archive

Archive Case #181: Feline Tritrichomonosis

Cat veterinary case - Medium - August 31, 2026

Clinical Clues

  1. In a multi-cat home, a young cat develops chronic large-bowel diarrhoea.
  2. Stools are frequent and foul-smelling, with mucus appearing intermittently.
  3. The cat remains bright and maintains body condition despite the ongoing problem.
  4. Rectal irritation is present from repeated diarrhoea.
  5. Fresh-faeces microscopy shows motile trichomonads, but this lower-sensitivity finding does not securely identify the feline organism.
  6. Faecal PCR detects Tritrichomonas blagburni, the diagnostic method of choice for confirming feline tritrichomonosis.

Diagnosis

Feline Tritrichomonosis

This case is most consistent with Feline Tritrichomonosis because the cat has chronic large-bowel diarrhoea with compatible protozoal testing and minimal systemic illness. The most important clues are the young multi-cat setting and retained body condition, which make panleukopenia or severe bacterial enteritis less likely.

Learning review

Review the case evidence

Use the paired clues to explain how the evidence in this cat case supports the provided diagnosis, Feline Tritrichomonosis, then compare your reasoning with the case explanation.

Evidence checkpoints

Clues 1-2

  1. Clue 1: In a multi-cat home, a young cat develops chronic large-bowel diarrhoea.
  2. Clue 2: Stools are frequent and foul-smelling, with mucus appearing intermittently.

Clues 3-4

  1. Clue 3: The cat remains bright and maintains body condition despite the ongoing problem.
  2. Clue 4: Rectal irritation is present from repeated diarrhoea.

Clues 5-6

  1. Clue 5: Fresh-faeces microscopy shows motile trichomonads, but this lower-sensitivity finding does not securely identify the feline organism.
  2. Clue 6: Faecal PCR detects Tritrichomonas blagburni, the diagnostic method of choice for confirming feline tritrichomonosis.

Self-review prompts

  1. After clues 1-2, what evidence from this cat case shaped your initial interpretation?
  2. When you compare clues 3-4 with clues 1-2, what changed in your reasoning about Feline Tritrichomonosis?
  3. How do clues 5-6 align with the case explanation for Feline Tritrichomonosis?

Educational Use

Vetdle archive cases are educational veterinary games for diagnostic reasoning practice. They do not provide veterinary advice, diagnosis, treatment, or professional medical guidance.