Whitney Veterinary Hospital and Cat Care Clinic

The small intestine empties into the back part of the large intestine through a one-way valve called the ileocecalcolic valve that projects a little into the intestine. Most of the material that the small intestine sends through the valve goes on through into the large intestine, but a little leaks into the cecum.

The cecum is at the junction of the small intestine and the large intestine. It's more like a twisted "pocket", or bulge, off the end of the large intestine. The large intestine is smaller in diameter than the cecum, which gives the whipworm a "cosy" little corner to grow in.