Pets are a great joy and responsibility. In addition to proper nutrition, a furry pet needs caress and care, constant veterinary examinations. Often, a problem like lice in cats goes unnoticed for a long time. As a result, tiny insects cause a lot of trouble. Moreover, multiplying in large numbers, parasites can bring the animal to extreme exhaustion.
Many are very interested in whether lice are transmitted from cats to humans. Having studied special literature, we can authoritatively declare. They cannot live on the human body, but this will not make it easier for your pet. It is extremely important to notice in time whether lice have appeared in cats and take the necessary measures. Having become acquainted with the material of the article, you will understand what to pay attention to.
Description
Surely animal lovers know well how parasites look. However, do not confuse with fleas. Lice in cats appear after contact with infected animals. Insects can be intermediate hosts of intestinal parasites or worms. These are small, wingless creatures with a rounded body and a triangular head. Specific to its host. That is, insects parasitize only on cats. Most often found in animals with long hair.
Flea or louse
It is impossible to mix them up. The cat flea has a dense, shiny chitinous shell and jumps well. Lice are light brown in color, they really look like human ones. In this case, the parasites are completely leisurely, and catching them is not difficult. Larvae are smaller. Surprisingly, the female can lay 50 to 70 eggs. Moreover, the life cycle is about 25 days. It should be noted the resistance of insects to insecticides. They breed very quickly, and get along well with fleas, not interfering with each other, but draining the animal.
Symptoms
The owner must know if cats have lice in order to take timely preventive and treatment measures. These insects feed on the epidermis, blood and secretions of the sebaceous glands, and love to accumulate on the neck, head and base of the tail. By checking these foci, you can be sure to determine if the animal is infected.
If the problem is not so urgent for the apartment cat, which lives exclusively within its borders, then the owner needs to be closely monitored for the fluffy beauty that walks on her own. If you notice causeless itching, anemia and a change in the coat, then it is time to immediately contact a veterinarian. Nits and adults are visible to the naked eye, but treatment should be prescribed by an experienced doctor.
But the main symptom is not even itching. The coat of an infected animal is heavily strewed. In some places, bald patches may form. Especially a lot of wool on the litter where the animal is sleeping. Launched cases can lead to complete baldness. Calculations to the blood are noticeable on the skin. If the coat is light, then black dots are visible on the hairs - parasite feces.
With severe infection
What is the danger of lice in cats? At first glance, it's okay, well, the animal scratched itself. But it must be borne in mind that they breed with lightning speed. If you do not take measures, then after a short time the entire surface of your pet’s body will be covered with scabies and combs, and the insects will still bite.
Lice in cats cause constant itching, indefatigable, interfering with quiet living, eating and sleeping. Parasitizing in the wool, insects thin it, make it disheveled and messy. If the animal has long suffered from this scourge, then it can even be visually determined without inspection.
Severe infection leads to eczema. In this case, vesicles and cones form on the skin of the animal, and inflammation occurs beneath them. The affected areas are very itchy, and combing them, the cat introduces the infection. That is, recovery is impossible until the cause is eliminated.
The duration of the disease
We have already answered the question of whether lice live on cats. Yes, and quite successfully. But this is a special species that will not parasitize either on another animal or on man. However, this does not mean that the pet can not be treated. To bring to a state where there are an incredible amount of parasites, you should not pay any attention to it at all. Most often this problem concerns stray animals. And it is necessary to treat, because the cat suffers.
How to remove lice from a cat
Initially, you should assess the status of your pet. If there are many scratches on the body, then perhaps it is not worth using insecticides. The doctor will examine the animal and tell you what is best to do. Kittens and pregnant cats are especially sensitive to bites. Moreover, lice can infect them with helminths, which also requires correction. In the arsenal of veterinarians there are drugs that affect all parasites that live both in the coat and in the intestines. However, they are not prescribed without a preliminary examination.
The most gentle means
If the animal is weakened, then you need to choose the safest methods of treatment. In this case, the doctor will most likely offer louse shampoo for cats. They contain the active substance, that is, a weak insecticide. Soap foam immobilizes insects, and even those that did not have time to die are easily washed out of wool. However, this method has a drawback, lice nits are resistant to such effects, so you have to wash the animal several times to destroy all the larvae, when they were just born and had not yet had time to lay eggs.
What to do in case of severe infection
It also happens that several shampoos have been tried, but the condition does not change, that is, lice continue to live and breed in cats. The photo in this case shows a gradual deterioration in the general condition of the fluffy beauty, her exhaustion. Then it is recommended to resort to other help options. A more effective tool is a special spray.
Use it is recommended only on highly infected cats. It is very important that there are no deep scratches on the surface of the body. Carefully monitor the condition of the pet during the procedure. If salivation, vomiting or trembling begins, then treatment should be stopped, and the pet should be shown to the veterinarian.
Infection prevention
Best if you prevent the disease. Today in veterinary pharmacies a huge number of different products are sold. The best ones are drops at the withers or collars. The second option is very convenient, as it provides long-term protection. But not all cats agree to wear such an ornament.
Therefore, drops at the withers were most popular. The composition is applied along the spine so that the animal could not lick it. In a short time, the active substance accumulates in fat cells and the upper layer of the skin. This is how it enters the digestive tract of insects. In a short time, parasites die. And the effect will last a few more weeks. Hatching insects will also die as soon as they begin to feed. Against lice, it is recommended to re-process so that the effect is certain.
Instead of a conclusion
Not a single cat is safe from infection. Therefore, the owner needs regular preventive measures. It is easier to spot fleas, even several individuals stand out on the body, especially if the coat is light and short. Lice in this case find themselves only by the anxiety of the animal and hair loss. If you find these parasites in your pet, then do not panic, they are harmless to you, and you need to save the fluff.
Contact your veterinarian, he will prescribe the best remedy that will help to quickly get rid of this problem. It is also recommended to put several branches of wormwood on the litter so that those individuals that settled on it die. However, it is best to treat the litter with the same tool as the animal itself, since folk remedies are not always reliable.