Background Over a billion people are infected with Toxocara canis or T. cati, the roundworms of dogs and cats. Historically,T. canis has been considered the main species responsible for human toxocarosis, but as serodiagnosis cannot discriminatebetween the two species, this remains unresolved. We used pigs as a relevant large animal model for human infection toassess the migratory pattern of T. cati and T. canis.Methods Pigs were inoculated with T. cati or T. canis eggs or PBS (negative controls) and necropsied 14 or 31 days later.Different organs and tissues were examined for parasites and pathological changes.Results Overall, the two parasite species had a similar migration pattern reaching multiple organs and tissues, including themesenteric lymph nodes, liver, lungs, and diaphragm. We recovered larvae of both species in the brain, suggesting that T.cati also can cause neurological toxocarosis in humans. Both species induced systemic eosinophilia and histopathologicalchanges in the lungs, livers, and mesenteric lymph nodes.Conclusion This study emphasises the importance of T. cati as a zoonotic agent and the need to develop diagnostic methodsthat can differentiate between sources of infection in humans.