Fur Mange in Cats

Cat owners who observe their cat scratching excessively or losing hair from its head or neck should have the animal examined for mange. Mange is an inflammatory condition that is caused by mites. The disease is best prevented with good hygiene and keeping cats away from strays that may be infected with mange.

  1. Types

    • Fur mange in cats is caused by several types of mites, demodex mites and notoedric mites. Demodex mites live on the skin, according to Pet MD, and are normally not problematic to an animal. However, when a cat's immune system is compromised due to being sick or stressed, the demodex mite population can grow out of control, resulting in mange. The notoedric mite is similar to the sarcoptic mite that causes dog mange; in cats, notoedric mites burrow into the skin and lay eggs.

    Effects

    • A cat with mange may lose hair from several parts of the body, including the head, neck, eyelids and flank. In addition, some cats will develop skin lesions and crusty patches. Pet Education.com notes that itching will typically begin around the ears and progress downwards to the face, neck and body of the affected cat. Left unchecked, mange can cause a cat's lymph nodes to enlarge, according to Pet Education.com.

    Diagnosis

    • Mange in cats can be diagnosed by performing a skin scraping or a procedure known as a trichogram. A trichogram helps a veterinarian analyze the cat's hair to determine the presence of mange. In order to rule out a metabolic cause for mange, such as diabetes, urinalysis may also be performed.

    Prevention/Solution

    • Simply keeping a cat clean is the best prevention against mange, according to Pet MD. If a cat does become infected, medical intervention is necessary. A veterinarian may prescribe an antibiotic or administer a series of shampoos and lime-sulfur dips to treat the skin and coat of an affected cat. As a follow-up, additional skin scrapings or further analysis of individual hairs from the cat's coat may be performed to ensure that the mange has been treated.

    Warning

    • PetMD notes that the Siamese and Burmese cat breeds are at higher risk of contracting mange. If a cat suffers from chronic mange, the animal should not be bred so that the disease is not passed on. According to Pet MD, there may be a genetic basis for the higher incidence of mange in some cat breeds. Pet Education.com advises that if one cat in a multiple-cat household is diagnosed with mange, the remaining cats should be treated as well, due to the contagious nature of the disease.