Does my cat have mange?

[lambofgod1688]

My cat recently had 3 ticks between his shoulder blades. The day after we removed them he had a little dry, scabby skin in the area, but we just thought it was from the tick wound and where we pulled out so hair whole pulling them off. Well, now he has a rather large patch of hair missing in that area and the skin there is rough and scabby. He loves to have it scratched with a plastic bristled brush and he is constantly rubbing against stuff to scratch it. I'm afraid it's mange, and I wanted to see if anyone had any opinions before I take him to the vet. I've included a fairly descent picture of the affected area I took with my phone. Like I said, I just would like some opinions besides my own, so all responses are appreciated.

image.jpg

• lambofgod1688
• Jul 5, 2013

 

[ritz]

Welcome to The Cat Site, sorry about the reason!

Based on internet research (and of all things a television episode on Judge Judy), mange is usually transmitted by fleas, not ticks.  Here is an article about mange. Do you have any dogs; that is one way cats can get manage.

Depending on the type of mange, it is highly contagious.  Your cat definitely needs to go to the vet, sooner rather than later.  It looks really uncomfortable.

 

[lambofgod1688]

Thank you for the welcome and the fast reply. He is around a lot of dogs because he's an outdoor cat and there are a lot of them in our neighborhood that roam freely. He might have been in contact with other wild animals too, as he like to roam the woods sometimes. It's also possible he had some fleas, because he was due for his flea and tick medication. We realized and remedied that after we found the ticks. We're taking him to the vet this coming week, though. I was just curious if someone might have more info on the subject, and your reply was definitely a big help. Thanks again!

 

[ritz]

You're quite welcome!  Let us know what the vet says.  If it's NOT mange, what is it?

Some cats have food allergies that manifest themselves on the fur; but it doesn't look like that!

 

[Norachan]

It looks like mange, or scabies as it's sometimes called. I had an outbreak of scabies in the colony of cats I care for a few years ago. It's easily treated with a course of injections, one a week for about a month.

You'll need to throw away his bedding as the mites that cause it can survive in there and he'll get another outbreak. 

There is some more information about scabies here.

http://pets.webmd.com/cats/cat-mange-mat-scabies