all hair falling off our cat, we live in the country, i hear its mange but what is that?

Question

what does that mean and what can we do about it. im pregnant so worried as i hear its contagious. i dont leave cat into house.

Answer 1

There are different kinds of mange, demodectic mange and sarcoptic. They are caused by mite, don't worry, you won't catch it as they are usually specific to a particular species and if they do get on you, the infection is self limited as they can only survive on a cat's blood.

Sarcoptic mange can be treated with revolution (selamectin) a flea treatment for dogs and cats.

Demodectic mange (There are two types of demodex mange in the cat)

Demodex cati and Demodex gatoi are the two demodex mites of the cat.) will need a lime sulphur dip such as LymDyp and use it everyday for about 10 days. It is best to have skin scrapings done and examined under a microscope to determine which one it is and again after treatment to ensure it's gone.

It is recommended you not breed from the cat as a predisposition to mange is usually passed on to the offspring.

The more likely cause, which you can get from the cat is ringworm. If you have an UV light, you can shine it on the cat and the areas infected will glow a tell tale fluoro green about 50% of ringworm strains will show up under this light. Lime Sulphur dip can be used for this too or you will need to get an medication called Griseofulvin can not be used in stud cats, pregnant queens or females you are planning to breed within 2 months of treatment, as it can cause birth defects. Side effects include nausea, fever, lethargy, diarrhoea, anaemia. In rare cases Griseofulvin can cause bone marrow suppression & also liver disease in cats. If your cat becomes sick seek veterinary attention immediately. Griseofulvin should not be given to cats with FIV. Pregnant women should not handle Griseofulvin.

Program® (Luthenuron) which is also a flea treatment taken orally or injected It has been suggested that has been shown to be effective against ringworm and several vets use it. Others include Ketoconazole (Nizoral®), Itraconazole, Terbinafine - (Lamisil ®)

Ringworm is difficult to get rid of and treatment is usually lengthy and often the first medication doesn't work and another needs to be tried.

So what would I do? I would use the lime sulphur dip (get someone else to do it since you're pregnant) this should take care of two of the possibilities. If that doesn't seem to work, then use the Selamectin, if still no improvement, then I would use the Luthenuron. If that failed, then the Terbinafine - (Lamisil ®) and if you were still having trouble, you would need to see a vet to get a prescription for the other things mentioned.

Answer 2

I found a really good company who specializes in various types of Mange (including cat mange) a while back when I needed help. They are called PetsBestRx. They have an exceptional staff who are very knowledgeable on the different kinds of mange and they work with you until the mange it actually gone.

They also work with your vet if you would like. I bought their immune boosters and their mange kit. My dog was pretty bad off and had a lot of infection. I highly recommend this company and their products. They helped me out tremendously on more than one occassion.

www.petsbestrx.com/mange 1-866-314-8917

Answer 3

There are two types of mange caused by two different species of mites. A vet will do a skin scraping to determine if your cat has one or the other.

I have never heard of the mites affecting humans and they might. It certainly should not be a cause of great concern as the mites do not affect the cats internally. I do think it is important to diagnose and treat your cat as it is miserable for an animal to be infected with them.

Answer 4

Mange is : any of various persistent contagious skin diseases marked especially by eczematous inflammation and loss of hair, affecting domestic animals or sometimes humans, and caused by a minute parasitic mite. Have someone take your kitty to the vet for you and they can determine if he needs antibotics or other medicines. If he says there is nothing he can do, take him for a second opinion.

Answer 5

It could be mange, it could be ringworm, it could be a fungal or bacterial infection. It could also be fleas or some other environmental irritant.

The best thing is to get to the vet to see exactly what it is. Some things can be transmitted to humans, and with you being pregnant you really don't want to try any home remedies that may/may not work. Proper veterinarian care is your best option, for you, your cat, and your unborn child.