Despite the fact that most conscious pet owners make every effort to ensure good health of their wards, sometimes they have different diseases. Very dangerous, for example, are lice-eaters in cats. These small wingless insects have a flattened body. Their size ranges from 1-2 mm. The quadrangular flat head of the insect is much wider than the chest. Lice-eaters in cats give them great trouble. The insect has a large oral cavity of a gnawing type. The basis for the nutrition of the lice is epidermis flakes and animal hair.
Lice-eaters in cats: symptoms, photo
Lice beetles in an animal can appear at any time of the year. You can catch them everywhere, and especially simply - when the animal communicates with a sick cat before or in contact with items of care for it. That is why it is necessary to carefully choose "friends" for your pet. Also, cases of infection of kittens from a sick mother are not uncommon. At the same time, parasites significantly weaken the immunity of small animals. Lice-eaters in cats breed very quickly. If at the initial stage the parasite is practically not visible, then after a couple of weeks you can detect signs of the disease. Females of these insects glue 20-60 eggs to the hairs of the animal. After 7-12 days, larvae hatch from them, which after 14-20 days (after three molts) become adult insects.
Most often, these parasites affect cats living in adverse conditions, as well as sick and weakened animals. A great incentive for the appearance of whipworms is poor pet nutrition. The main signs of the disease: severe scratching of the skin (sometimes to blood), incessant itching, causing the animal to constantly itch. With severe lesions,
cat baldness, dermatitis, and phlegmon are often observed. Lice beetles in cats are most often localized at the base of the tail of the animal, as well as on the inner surface of the legs and thighs. To establish a diagnosis, it is necessary to carefully examine the animal’s hair, extending it to the skin. Parasites and their eggs are yellowish.
Treatment and prevention
Lice-eaters in cats, photos of which on the skin and hair are shown on the right, are destroyed by those drugs that are designed to get rid of fleas. Since they most often kill only larvae, not eggs and adult insects, antiparasitic treatment should be carried out 3-4 times in the warm season (with an interval of 10-12 days) and in the cold period (after 14-18 days). One of the most popular parasite exterminators is Fiprist Drops. They are intended for application to the withers of an animal. This remedy not only heals, but also protects cats from infection by lice eaters. No less effective and drops "IN-AP complex", which act on the same principle as the drug "Fiprist".
To prevent this disease, it is enough to observe a balanced diet of the pet and the necessary veterinary and sanitary conditions for its maintenance, regularly conduct a thorough inspection of the coat.