Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
mite eggs. There is a tendency to think of ear mites as not very serious,
and some cat owners think cats with ear mites do not need to be treat-
ed. This is absolutely untrue. Ear mites are extremely uncomfortable for
a cat—the itching and biting, plus the noise of the mites in the ear canals,
are a real torment. In addition, cats with chronic ear mite infections can
develop inflammatory polyps in their ear canals. They can also develop
blood blisters on their earflaps (ear hematomas) secondary to constant
rubbing. Ear mites must be taken seriously and treated promptly.
Can Your Cat Get Scabies?
Scabies is a type of mite infection caused by
Sarcoptes scabei
. This mite is
rarely found in cats, but a similar mite,
Notoedres cati,
is common. Notoedres
can jump on humans and cause temporary itchiness, but they cannot live
on our skin. On cats the mites tend to live around the face and ears, and
the cat develops a very crusty appearance. Affected animals are very itchy.
A veterinarian will perform a skin scraping to diagnose this type of
mange and will be able to tell you within minutes if the parasite is
observed. A skin scraping involves using a scalpel blade to scrape small
amounts of hair and skin onto a slide with a drop of mineral oil. Mites
or mite eggs are then observed on the slide.
Cats with mites are treated orally or injectably with the cattle
dewormer ivermectin, or topically with the cat-approved product
Revolution that contains selamectin. Bathing in pyrethrin shampoo
will kill mites on contact and aid in treatment.
Cheyletiella
This fur mite is more difficult to isolate and identify than other types of
mites. It is typically found on the trunk of a cat, and it causes hair loss, scal-
ing and itchiness.When Cheyletiella is suspected, an impression of a lesion
is made on a piece of transparent tape and then examined microscopically.
Treatment for this mite is similar to that of other types of mange,
except that this mite can live in the environment for up to three weeks.
Using some type of environmental premises treatments that are effec-
tive against fleas will also kill these mites.
Demodex
Demodex is a type of mange more frequently found on dogs, but it is
occasionally found on cats.This mite does not cause the intense itching
