Feline Scabies/mange in indoor cats...please help!?

Question

I have five cats in my household, which are separated into 2 groups....two older cats who live in the main living areas, and 3 that are in a shared bedroom. They are like this because they cannot get along. The two older (and i mean older, one is 19 and the other is 12) have no claws while the 3 younger ones do...the younger ones are very dominate and agressive toward other cats so this is just the living arrangement.

They all are indoor cats. None of them are outdoor kitties. They never go outside, but they do sit near open windows or doors but cannot get out due to screens.

Two of the three kitties (who are brothers) that are in the bedroom have these round little scabs near their tail, between their shoulder blades, and on the tops of their head. I have taken them to the vet a couple of years ago with this same problem but it just ended up being nothing more than scabbing from scratching, but nothing serious. No mange, no nothing. The third kitty doesn't have this, even though they all live, eat and sleep together. He is not related at all, so i don't know if he may have a different skin reaction because of different genetics.

So my question is this (and i'm trying to be detailed for you as possible to possibly diagnose the issue):

Is it possible for indoor cats to get mange? We do have a dog that obviously goes outside, so could he possibly bring it in and give it to the indoor kitties?

I don't think they have mange, because they are not going bald from itching, by any means whatsoever. And they are not itching insessintly, so is this possible?

Also, i know that a particular kind of scabies/mange can be transmitted to human beings, and if you know any of these symptoms of animal to human scabies could you let me know.....

Thanks!

Answer 1

There is no way without seeing a vet you can be sure but here are a couple things to look at.

1.) Are you sure there are not fleas on any of the cats. Buy a check flea comb and check. Even if it is not an infestation only one flea can cause a problem for some cats. They get flea dermatitis which basically is from them l*****g/scratching an area a flea bit.

2.) Sarcoptic mange is extremely itchy. They will scratch a lot. Also while this is not always the case sarcoptic mange is normally seen in younger cats.

3.) Tramission to humans normally is a red rash that is very itchy. It usually lasts no longer than three weeks as the sarcoptic mite that infects dogs cannot finish out its life cycle in humans and eventually dies.

Lastly a good recommendation if your against taking the cats in is to purchase Revolution from your vet. It used to treat sarcoptic mange as well as prevent fleas/heartworms and treat ear mites.  

Answer 2

Hey, I don't know if it's scabies, you'll need to get your vet to determine what it actually is. My cat had a similar issue when I moved from an apartment into a house. The previous owner had been less than hygenic and left me a nice flea infestation to deal with. Thanks lady. Anyways, neither of my cats had ever been exposed to fleas and one was fine but the other one got the WORST flea dermatitis and it sounds very similar to what your cat has. If the cat is prone to this it doesn't take on infestation to do the damage. I tried everything (frontline, advantix, revolution) and nothing was working and the cat was miserable. Finally the vet gave my cat an injection of something called "Program" (made by Novartis) and some Capstar tablets and within 2 days my cats skin had cleared up and has stayed clear.

So as I said, I don't know exactly what it is so check with the vet but if it is flea dermatitis, I'd really suggest trying Program. Bear in mind though, Program offers no protection against ticks so if they do go outside they'll need protection against ticks but as you said, yours are total indoor cats so this won't be an issue.

Maybe you could let us know how you go? Good luck!

PS - with fleas, you can do everything you can think of and they still proliferate. When I bought my house I had it pest treated straight away and then before I moved in I renovated it and then had it pest treated again before I moved in. And yet the fleas still came. We think there were dormant eggs trapped in the cracks of the floorboards, they really are sneaky buggers. The renovations were done in winter with everything opened so the eggs would have stayed dormant but as soon as I moved in and the house warmed up and the cats arrived the eggs hatched and the war began. Ultimately I was victorious!!!

Answer 3

Did they ever check for Ring worm? Perfectly round, scabby, hairless patches could be one of 50 types of ring worm. And NO, Ring Worm isnt worms, Its fungus. Depending on which type it is it can be passed to humans. Some ring worm is more difficult that others to get rid of. Some types can just be killed off with pills while others require repeated dips and washes. I would have them check for that first, then if they scraped for mange I doubt its that. Might be stress related since there are 3 cats confined to one room and having to share with cats they dont like. I would find a way to alternate the cats in order to give them more interaction than just a room. Its hard I understand but thats no fair to all 5 cats.

DO NOT SPRAY DESENEX on a cats wounds. What that person just advised is very stupid. If she got that advice from Yahoo that's craziness... a vet would not prescribe it. YOU NEED TO FIND OUT IF ITS RINGWORM FIRST before spraying an ANTIFUNGAL for a HUMAN FOOT FUNGUS infection. Yes that's whats Desenex is for. Jock Itch and Athletes foot. NOT FOR CAT RINGWORM. Its very toxic and can cause liver damage if over exposed or licked from the coat. Get a vets diagnosis first and get the meds from him please. RING WORM is NOT genetic and is she had gone to vet he could have told her this. Its a FUNGUS infection and its CONTAGIOUS. Meaning if one has it then all can get it, including you. If you have a Woods lamp or a Black light you can turn off the lights and having it as dark as possible. Run it over the spots. If they glow its ring worm for sure.

Answer 4

It sounds like some of your kitties are play-fighting together and are leaving little claw scratches (and bite marks?) on each other.  I doubt if they could have mange.  If scabies were the culprit, you'd know by now from the intense itching.  No, I think they are just playing and/or scrapping a bit.  Do they have any toys to play with?  Maybe you can find something that will distract them from playing attack games on each other.

Answer 5

Well, I just asked a similar question because one of my kittens had spots on his face...you can go to my questions and see the picture I have on there of my kitten...see if it looks like what yours has...

Here's what I did: I put DESENEX on it yesterday...and today it is amazingly almost GONE! Go look at the picture...maybe it's the same thing!! :) I have 5 kittens and 2 big ones, and only 2 of the kittens had it...and like you mentioned, these two were from the same dad, the others were not and they didn't have it...there's something to that genetic thing I think!

Let me know how it turns out! God Bless!! :)