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Issues with recurring mange in cats
Hello, we have three cats in our house and a recurring problem with what appears to be mange. The source seems to be a cat across the road, which my mum says has a bad case. Unfortunately, we don't know who owns him (or if he even has an owner) and he's only seen occasionally. They've been treated before, but two of them are now showing symptoms again. The third seems fine but I don't want to take any risks.
My mum seems hesitant to get them all treated again because 1: she can't afford it, 2: we can't stop them catching it again from that other cat and 3: she insists that they will 'get better', though what I've read suggests that is impossible.
I'm currently unemployed having just got back from uni, but still have a small chunk of my student loan left over which should sufficiently cover all three cats.
I just wanted to ask if anyone has advice on how I can prevent them catching it again. I don't have enough money for future treatments and unless we do something about the other cat there's no way of really stopping it recurring.
I've considered going to the RSPCA or something, but the cat's lack of address and sporadic appearances may make that useless. Does anyone have any ideas on what I can do? If you have any other advice for this situation, feel free to throw that in as well.
Thank you for your time.
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Maybe give some free advice about: Pets?
Ok, first of all I currently work in a vet's office and it depends on the type of mange. There's two kinds: Sarcoptes (Scabies) and Demodex. If it's scabies, it has to be treated with Selamectin (Revolution) which is a prescription drug. It can be sold to pet owner's if the cats have been seen within a year. Revolution is generally not very expensive (unless you buy a 6 pack or more).
NOW, Scabies has to be treated with an injection form of Ivermectin, which has to be given by a Veterinarian. And I'm guessing the veterinarian is going to charge an exam and probably skin scrapings on both cats...so that's where it might get expensive.
In any case, a shampoo WILL NOT treat either forms of mange, you need to know which type of mange they have and go from there. Either way, A SHAMPOO WILL NOT GET RID OF IT.
As for the other cat, ask your neighbors if he belongs to them or anyone they know. If not, get a cat trap, trap him and then call animal control. That's the only way your cats are not going to continue to get mange....unless you keep them inside 24/7. Since they interact with the other cat, they are indoor/outdoor.
Good luck and if you have any questions, please send me a message.
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Recurring mange is hard to deal with, unless treated with medication. Why not ask a veterinarian and ask what kind of medication you can buy to bathe the cats in, rather than taking them to see one. I'm sure a pet store might have a strong medicated shampoo. The best way to prevent mange is to keep the cats away from the other stray cat with the mange. I had a kitten who had mange and honestly, that was not a happy kitten. He was very angry all the time and always itching. Maybe you can call the animal control, not sure if the UK has that service, and they can pick up the cat with the mange. If the cat is a friendly cat, then surely, it can be treated. I really don't know the policy there, but in America, if the cat is domesticated, it can be adopted.
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