Most cat lovers know that mange can devastate the health of their feline.

Scabies or mange in felines is caused by mites that are very small.  These mites are otherwise known as Notoedres cati. These mites cause the same symptoms and ichyness in cats as the sarcoptic mange mites do in the dogs. The treatments for these mites and the ones in dogs are almost the same, as are the life cycles of these blood-seeking insects.

Mange can affect all types of cats, no matter how old the cat is. It can affect both female and male cats and can even affect an entire litter of kittens at once. However, research has found that it is more common in outdoor cats so if you have a cat and you are worried about scabies, don’t let your cat go outside. Mange can also affect dogs, foxes and also rabbits.

The symptoms of mites in cats will normally spread with the itching and losing tufts of fur, the itching itself will start on the cats ears and quickly escalate to the rest of the cats body. As this disease gets worse and advances more that cat’s skin will become yellowish and thick, there will be yellowish crusts popping up all over the cats body. This often leads to self mutilation in many cats, they will literally scratch themselves to death. Cat mange also affects the cat’s lymph nodes by causing them to become enlarged.

You might be wondering just how scabies is treated in felines, well, the notoedres mite can be killed by topical application of products like Pet’s Best Rx “Cat Safe” Mange Packs. It’s not a good idea to use the same mange treatment that you would use on a dog because many of these products are not safe to use on a cat with mange.

One shaky home remedy includes shaving your cat and applying a lime sulfur dip rubbed on the cats entire body, of course, you would most likely have to sedate the cat to be able to do all of this as cats don’t like water and surely it would flip out at the sound of a pair of clippers.

Research has shown the most effective treatment for cat mange is a tea-tree oil free product like the one sold at Pet’s Best Rx.