Feral Cat Mange

[Kospat]

Need To Know What Kind Of Medicine I Can Use For Mange

 

[Norachan]

Can you handle the cats at all? Mange can be treated with medicated shampoo, but if the cats are too feral to bathe the best way to treat them is with a course of injections. You need to take the cat to the vet so they can do a skin scraping to determine what type of mange they have. They'll need an injection weekly for 4 weeks, if memory serves me.

You can catch mange from them, so wash your hands after touching them. You'll need to replace all their bedding too.

 

[mani]

Hi K Kospat and welcome to TCS!
There's a thread here that may help:

Will Revolution Cure Mange?

There's a youngish kitten (four to five months old) on one of our properties who definitely has mange. I dosed him with Revolution. He'll be going to get fixed in the next two weeks. Is Revolution effective against mange? My Google-Fu failed me.

thecatsite.com

 

[Kospat]

Thank you .I'll Try.He's a Feral

 

[lavishsqualor]

Ivermectin will work. People may yell at me for this advice but you can purchase equine (horse) Ivermectin paste on Amazon for under six dollars. Get a small blob of the paste and try to get it on the inner portion of the cat's ear. It will absorb this way. Or if you can't do that just get a blob of it anywhere on the cat. The cat will lick it off. I've had tremendous luck with it in rescue for feral cats that can't be handled. Ivermectin is, for the most part, safe. Just don't apply it every day. Evaluate the cat's progress weekly and if necessary apply it every seven days. If you can't afford the Ivermectin PM me and I'll get it for you.

To be clear, there are much better ways of handling mange in a cat. However, on a budget for a feral cat that can't be handled, equine Ivermectin is a very good option when administered correctly.

This is NOT how I would treat a housecat or a cat that could be handled.

 

[BlackCatOp]

IMHO, equine or cattle ivermectin should not be used on any cat regardless of whether they are feral or a beloved pet. The risk of overdosing is just too high as the product is highly concentrated. There is no antidote for ivermectin toxicity except supportive care. I understand wanting to help the ferals but maybe there is a TNR group the could provide assistance. As far as a cat safe alternative, I would use either Brevecto or Revolution PLUS for treating the mites. While off label for mites, there had been extensive studies done to show efficacy against mites.

 

[Norachan]

We really can't advise any kind of treatment without consulting a vet first. As BlackCatOp said, the risk of over dosing or giving a medicine that is not appropriate for that particular cat/situation is too high.

There are several different types of mange. Some types are caused by a mite that spreads only to other cats, some caused by mites that spread to humans and other animals, some types of mange indicate a weakened immune system. Depending on the type of mange the cat has you may require antibiotics, as well as topical treatment.

It's essential that the cat is taken to a vet to determine exactly what type of treatment is best.

Is it possible to trap the cat and take him to a vet K Kospat ? TNR groups may be able to lend you a trap and help with this.

 

[fionasmom]

It is always dicey to try to treat a feral who cannot be properly handled and taken to a vet. All I can add is that my GSD was an out of state rescue who had mange and he was treated by the local vets with Revolution. It cleared it up and he was able to get a medical release to board a plane and come out to CA. This basically supports what the Fixnation article says.

 

[catmomL]

I’m dealing with a community cat with mange, any idea how I can differentiate from mange and if I should go ahead with treatment? She’s got it bad, her entire belly, hind leg has lost fur and is covered with red itchy patches of skin. Poor thing keeps asking for pets and I’m trying to avoid that so k don’t get my own kitty sick.
What’s the best course of action here? She let me brush her, so maybe I can still use a topical solution on her? What topical treatment is appropriate here?

Ivermectin will work. People may yell at me for this advice but you can purchase equine (horse) Ivermectin paste on Amazon for under six dollars. Get a small blob of the paste and try to get it on the inner portion of the cat's ear. It will absorb this way. Or if you can't do that just get a blob of it anywhere on the cat. The cat will lick it off. I've had tremendous luck with it in rescue for feral cats that can't be handled. Ivermectin is, for the most part, safe. Just don't apply it every day. Evaluate the cat's progress weekly and if necessary apply it every seven days. If you can't afford the Ivermectin PM me and I'll get it for you.

To be clear, there are much better ways of handling mange in a cat. However, on a budget for a feral cat that can't be handled, equine Ivermectin is a very good option when administered correctly.

This is NOT how I would treat a housecat or a cat that could be handled.

 

[lavishsqualor]

Mange is a miserable, miserable disease. I've recently had a number of foxes in my backyard with it, and I was able to successfully treat them using THIS protocol. But if you're actually able to handle your poor infected strays, the safest course of treatment would be Revolution Plus. You can get it from your vet. The downside is that it's costly, especially for a colony.

I really do encourage you to do what you can for your community of strays. Like I said, mange is awful. Note that they'll all need a series of treatments to kill any unhatched eggs. Otherwise, they'll simply reinfect each other. Good luck and thanks so much for helping these cats!

 

[Norachan]

What’s the best course of action here? She let me brush her, so maybe I can still use a topical solution on her? What topical treatment is appropriate here?

If you can actually touch her take her to a vet and have them test her. There are different types of mange that require different treatments and other skin conditions that look like mange, but are actually something else.

You'll save your self time and money in the long run if you have her diagnosed and treat her with the appropriate medication from the start.

Good luck, please keep us updated.