After ear mites (Otodectic Cynotis), notoedric mange is the most common type of mange in cats.
What Causes Notoedric Mange In Cats?
Notoedric mange in cats is also known as feline scabies. It is caused by a tiny mite named Notoedres cati that affects cats much like sacroptic mange affects dogs.
Notoedres cati is a burrowing mite that spends its entire life on its host. This mite literally burrows into your cat’s skin where the female mite lays eggs several times as it continues burrowing. The tunnels she creates can actually reach a length of several centimeters. After depositing her eggs, the female mite dies. The eggs develop six-legged larvae, which ultimately becomes a nymph with eight legs, then an adult. This life cycle requires two to three weeks.
How Is Notoedric Mange Transmitted?
The Notoedres cati mite is transmitted directly from cat to cat. Notoedric mange in cats is more common in outdoor cats that come in contact with stray cats. The mite can live for only a few days off the cat and can be transmitted through grooming, boarding and the sharing of bedding.
Symptoms Of Notoedric Mange In Cats
The most common symptoms of notoedric mange in cats are hair loss and itching. This normally starts on the cat’s ears and then rapidly spreads to its face, eyelids and neck. The mites can also spread to your cat’s feet and lower abdomen. This type of spreading usually occurs as a result of the cat’s habit of grooming itself and from sleeping curled up in a ball.
As notoedric mange progresses, the cat’s skin can become thickened, wrinkled and covered with grayish-yellow crusts. As the cat continues to scratch itself, its skin may become irritated causing a secondary infection. The cat’s lymph nodes may be also become enlarged if the problem is not treated.
Diagnosis Of Notoedric Mange In Cats
The constant scratching and hair loss help diagnose notoedric mange in cats. However, to confirm the diagnosis, your vet will need to take superficial skin scrapings and then examine them under a microscope.
Treatment For Notoedric Mange In Cats
The recommended treatment for notoedric mange in cats is to clip all long hair and then bathe the cat with a gentle cleansing shampoo. Following the shampoo, you will need to apply a 2% to 3% lime sulfur dip (Lymdip) to the cat’s entire body. You may find that you need to sedate the cat to properly bathe and treat it with the Lymdip. The treatment notoedric mange in cats must be repeated every seven days until the mange is cured. Be forewarned that this may take six to eight weeks.
Some vets have treated notoedric mange in cats with an Amitrax dip. This is considered to be an off-label use of the product and can make some cats sick. Ivermectin has also been used recently to treat this condition with success.
If you have multiple cats it is recommended that you get all of them treated because one or more of the other may be harboring the mites.
Preventing Notoedric Mange In Cats
Outdoor cats are more likely to develop notoedtric mange. The best way to keep your cat from becoming infested with notoedtric mange is to keep it indoors. If this is not possible, try to keep it away from stray or infected cats. You should also make sure that any place you board your cat or have it groomed has good sanitation and insist that all grooming tools be disinfected between uses.
Notoedric Mange And Humans
Notoedric mange can also affect us humans. Notoedric mange is very contagious so you need to make sure that neither you or any of your children come in direct contact with an infested cat. The good news concerning notoedric mange and humans is that it is generally self-limiting. This is because the mites that cause this mange cannot survive on humans as hosts and will eventually die off.
If you do get notoedric mange from your cat, you don’t have to wait a few weeks for the itching to stop. You can ask your doctor to treat the condition as there are various topical solutions (applied to the skin), available that can bring relief, including permethrin (Nix, Elimite), lindane (Kwell, Scabene), and crotamiton (Eurax). The oral medication Ivermectin (Stromectol) is also sometimes prescribed to treat mange in humans. You can also use a topical agent such as calamine lotion to treat the itching.
Uncomfortable, But Not Life Threatening
While notoedric mange in cats is certainly not life a threatening problem, it can be tough on your cat. At the first sign of an notoedric mange infestation, either start treating it yourself or get it into to see your veterinarian.
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