Instructions
Check around the inside of your cat's ears and around the outside bottom of the ear at the hairline, especially if your cat is scratching or digging at the ear excessively. Chiggers normally attack the ears and area around the ears before settling into other parts of the skin.
Watch for signs of overly irritated skin. If your cat seems to scratch any area of their body more than usual, part the hair for visible signs of Trombiculid mites. Look for patches of raw or irritated skin, yellow, red or orange blemishes on top of the skin or the beginning signs of excessive scabbing.
Check your cat immediately at the first signs of cat mange. Felines with mange exhibit signs of irritated skin, yellow, orange or red spotting, hair loss and a possible discharge of puss from the infected area.
Check your cat for any lesions around the eyes or ears. A visible onset of lesions, without a known injury, could mean the cat has Trombidiosis, a form of feline dermatitis. Cats with trombidiosis, also known as trombiculiasis, show the same symptoms and signs as cats with mange. However, trombidiosis causes excessive crusting of the skin and extreme skin redness, brought on by inflammation. Trombidiosis occurs when the larva form of trombiculid mites infect a cat. The larval form must feed off a host to survive, unlike adult chiggers, which can exist on their own.
Call your veterinarian at the first signs of chigger infections. Veterinarians can provide medications such as a topical, anti-parasitic ointment or a medication to dip or bathe the animal in that will rid the animal of a chigger infestation.
How Do I Know If My Cat Has Chiggers?
Chiggers, or Trombiculid mites, feed on their prey by penetrating the top layer of skin and introducing their saliva into the prey. The saliva of a chigger contains enzymes used in digestion; the saliva breaks down the skin cells of the targeted animal or human and the chigger feeds on the broken down cells. When animals, such as cats, wander into areas populated by chiggers, the cats can become infected with chiggers and suffer from the pain and aggravation caused by chigger bites.