Lice Beetles In Cats: Photos Of Lice And Symptoms Of Their Lesion On The Skin, Diagnosis, Treatment And Prevention At Home

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-17 22:26

Trihodectosis in cats: treatment and prevention

If a cat itches, gets nervous, loses weight, and its fur has lost its former attractive appearance, it may have become infected with lice. A knowledgeable owner can quickly destroy parasites and help the pet.

Content

• 1 What do lice, causative agents of trichodectosis in cats look like
• 2 Causes of feline trichodectosis and how it is transmitted
• 3 Danger of trichodectosis for cats

• 4 Symptoms of lice infestation in cats

  4.1 Diagnosis of trichodectosis

• 5 Stages of cat trichodectosis

• 6 Treatment of trichodectosis in cats

  • 6.1 Video: Treatment for External Pet Parasites

  • 6.2 Preparations for external treatment

    1 Photo gallery: preparations for external treatment against lice

  • 6.3 Traditional medicines

    6.3.1 Photo gallery: traditional medicine for the treatment of lice

  • 6.4 Features of the treatment of pregnant cats and kittens

• 7 Dangers of cat bites to human health

  7.1 Precautions for caring for a sick cat

• 8 Prevention of lice in cats

What do lice, pathogens of trichodectosis in cats look like?

Cat hair beetles (Felicola subrastratus) are causative agents of trichodectosis, a parasitic skin disease characterized by thinning of the coat, pronounced itching and self-injury of the skin when combing it.

The lice beetles belong to the Trichodectes family, which, unlike the blood-sucking lice, belongs to the biting lice. Vlasoids have small body sizes within 1–2 mm, light gray or yellowish coloration and look translucent. The mouth apparatus is gnawing, there are sharp hooks on the paws, which allow the parasite to firmly adhere to the surface of the skin and hair of the cat. The body shape is flat, there are no wings, the head is large enough. The lice are characterized by a high reproduction rate - each female lays up to hundreds of eggs, attaching them with very sticky uterine mucus to the base of the hair. The development cycle of the parasite takes, depending on the favorable conditions, from 2 to 5 weeks, passing through several larval stages. Vlasoids, unlike fleas, are not inclined to change the owner. The lice feed on keratin plates of the epidermis of the skin and hair. In the external environment, they can survive for up to 8 days at room temperature.

Vlasoids are flat wingless parasitic insects with a developed mouth apparatus of the gnawing type

Causes of feline trichodectosis and how it is transmitted

Infected animals are the reservoir of the pathogen.

Infection occurs by contact when the lice or their eggs are transferred to the hair of a healthy cat:

• by direct contact with infected relatives;
• through care items and bedding;
• kittens become infected from a sick mother;
• the possibility of infection of cats from rodents when hunting them is not excluded.

There are also factors that contribute to the infection of cats:

• crowded keeping of cats with insufficient hygiene measures;
• high humidity in the room where cats are kept;
• immunodeficiency states, since normally the secretion of the sebaceous glands of cats limits the number of external parasites;
• unbalanced or inadequate nutrition;
• winter-autumn time - in this season the lice are most active.

Infected stray animals are the reservoir of trichodectosis

Dangers of trichodectosis for cats

The dangers of trichodectosis for cats are:

• the possibility of infection with helminths; lice are carriers of helminthiasis, for example, dipylidiosis caused by cucumber tapeworm;
• the possibility of allergic skin reactions, especially miliary dermatitis;
• the possibility of the emergence or aggravation of an already existing immunodeficiency state and exacerbation of chronic diseases, including viral infections;
• the development of anemia;
• weight loss;
• thinning of the coat, the appearance of foci of alopecia (baldness), a decrease in the attractiveness of the appearance of the coat.

Waste products of parasites, visible in the fur of a cat - one of the symptoms of infection with lice

Symptoms of a lice infestation in cats

The main symptoms of trichodectosis are:

• the cat itches with its paws, tries to catch parasites in the fur with its teeth;
• due to constant itching, the cat develops irritability and even aggressiveness, insomnia may appear;
• multiple scratches and abrasions from scratching are visible on the skin; with the addition of a secondary bacterial or fungal flora, dermatitis develops;
• small creeping insects are visible in the wool, as well as their waste products;
• the coat becomes dull, sparse;
• in the places of the greatest accumulation of lice, foci of baldness appear;
• dandruff appears.

With trichodectosis, foci of baldness are formed

Diagnosis of trichodectosis

The diagnosis is established on the basis of examination of the cat, interviewing its owner about the development of the disease, as well as when lice and their eggs are found on the skin and hair of the cat. To verify the diagnosis, parasites are combed out of the wool and examined under a microscope to clarify their species.

The diagnosis can be made independently, since lice have a peculiarity - they are very thermophilic. If you bring the cat to a heat source, for example, to a radiator, then in 5-10 minutes small mobile insects will appear on the surface of its fur. This feature is peculiar only to lice; fleas, lice, skin mites do not show it.

Near the heat source, the lice, trying to get closer to it, rise to the surface of the wool - this is their distinguishing feature

Stages of feline trichodectosis

In the development of trichodectosis, 3 stages can be distinguished, the duration of each of them is determined by the number of pathogens, the state of the cat's immune system, as well as by environmental conditions:

• the initial stage - there are few more parasites, the cat feels satisfactory, sometimes itches with its paw, there may be single scratches on the skin;

• the stage of the height of the disease - with an increase in the number of lice, all symptoms typical for trichodectosis appear:

  • thinning of the wool and foci of baldness;
  • severe itching of the skin;
  • multiple traces of scratching on the cat's skin;
  • violation of general health and behavior;
  • dandruff appears;

• stage of complications - against the background of lesions by lice, complications begin to develop:

  • allergic reactions:

    • at the same time, itching of the skin increases, which ceases to depend on the activity of parasites, as well as their number, and becomes constant and intense;
    • rashes appear on the skin - papules (bumps), pustules (bubbles) and redness;
    • miliary dermatitis may develop - when multiple vesicles appear on the skin, which are replaced by weeping erosions and crusts covering areas of the body;

  • secondary dermatitis - the combs become infected with secondary bacterial and fungal flora; when this occurs:

    • redness and swelling of the skin around the lesions;
    • the formation of weeping surfaces, the exudate can be serous or purulent;
    • expansion of the area of skin damage due to inflammatory changes;
    • fever possible;
    • possible development of pyoderma - purulent inflammation of the skin;
    • development of regional lymphadenitis is possible;

  • helminth infection - symptoms are:

    • weight loss;
    • instability of the stool - alternating diarrhea and constipation;
    • the appearance of an impurity of blood in the stool;
    • the development of anemia;
    • instability of appetite;
    • an increase in the size of the abdomen;
    • cramping abdominal pain;

  • exacerbation of chronic diseases caused by a decrease in the immune status is especially dangerous for pets infected with chronic viral infections of cats:

    • viral leukemia;
    • viral immunodeficiency;
    • coronavirus infection, as well as other diseases of both infectious and non-infectious origin.

Treatment of trichodectosis in cats

In the treatment of trichodectosis, the following are used:

• preparations for external treatment - destroy the lice:

  • drops on the withers - a convenient form, very easy to use, ensures the destruction of lice and long-term protection against them:

    • Front Line Spot He;
    • Stronghold;
    • Leopard;
    • Phyprex;
    • Advantage;
    • In-Up Complex;

  • sprays - also allow you to quickly get rid of lice:

    • Frontline;
    • Bolfo;
    • Greenfort;

  • shampoos - the insecticidal effect of shampoos is short-term and insufficient for the treatment of severe infestation by lice, but they take care of the skin and hair, cleanse them, have an exfoliating and emollient effect:

    • Rolf Club;
    • Phytoelite;
    • Bio Groom;

  • powders from external parasites are a rather outdated and not entirely convenient form that requires repeated applications in order to destroy new generations of lice that emerged from laid eggs:

    • Flicar;
    • Insectin;

  • emulsions are also now rarely used for treating cats, since there are more convenient forms. But they can be very useful as surface treatment solutions:

    • Neostomosan;
    • Neocidol;

• antihistamines for allergy symptoms:

  • Tavegil;
  • Suprastin;
  • Pipolfen;

• antibacterial drugs for concomitant bacterial infection:

  • Sinulox;
  • Tsiprovet;

• antifungal drugs for concomitant infection with fungal flora:

  • Itraconazole;
  • Ketaconazole;

• anthelmintic drugs - when detecting concomitant helminthic invasion:

  • Milbemax;
  • Pratel;

• immunomodulators - to improve the state of the immune system:

  • Gamavite;
  • Fosprenil.

Video: treatment for external parasites of pets

Preparations for external treatment

Effective means for external treatment against lice:

A drug	Structure	Operating principle	Price, rub
Front Line Spot-On; drops on the withers	Fipronil	Kills parasitic insects and mites within 24–48 hours after application. Protects against repeated attacks of lice within 4-6 weeks. Do not bathe for 48 hours after treatment. It is possible for pregnant and lactating women. Not allowed for kittens under 8 weeks	466
Stronghold, drops on the withers	Selamectin	Destroys parasitic insects, skin mites and round helminths. Kills eggs and larvae. It is possible for pregnant and lactating women. Not for kittens under 6 weeks old. You can wash the cat 2 hours after application. The action lasts 1 month	from 330
Leopard, drops on the withers	Fipronil, diflubenzuron, dicarboximide	Destroys adult and larval forms of parasitic insects and ticks. The protective effect lasts 1 month. Not for pregnant, lactating, kittens up to 8 weeks old. Do not bathe for 3 days after application	from 162
Frontline, spray	Fipronil	Destroys parasitic insects and ticks. Insect protection up to 40 days. You can not bathe 2 days before use, as well as 2 days after it. Suitable for pregnant and lactating cats, kittens from 2 days of age	970 per 100 ml
Rolf Club, shampoo	Permethrin	Destroys parasitic insects. Not lactating, kittens up to 2 months	315 for 400 ml
Phytoelite, shampoo	Permethrin, decoctions of wormwood and celandine		107 for 220 ml

Spray or drops are applied first; then they maintain the time indicated in the instructions for the preparation and bathe the cat with medicated shampoo.

Photo gallery: preparations for external treatment against lice

Front Line spray can be used in pregnant and lactating cats, as well as in kittens from 2 days of age

Drops Bars protect against the attack of ticks and parasitic insects

Stronghold kills parasitic insects, skin mites and roundworms

Traditional medicine

Traditional medicine can be used at an early stage of infestation by lice, when the number of parasites is still small, and there are no signs of complications. Apply repeated bathing of the pet in decoctions:

• wormwood;
• chamomile;
• turns.

The bathing agent is prepared as follows:

1. Take 100 g of dry grass or 600 g of fresh.
2. Pour in two liters of boiling water.
3. Boil over very low heat for 15 minutes or incubate for half an hour in a water bath.
4. Remove from fire or water bath.
5. Insist for an hour.
6. They are filtering.
7. Water is added to the required volume and the pet is bathed.

Photo gallery: traditional medicine for the treatment of lice

Wormwood infusion is used for bathing cats to get rid of parasitic insects

The infusion of the series is used for bathing with a small infestation by lice

Chamomile infusion requires several bathing applications to get rid of the lice with little infestation

Features of the treatment of pregnant cats and kittens

It is important to prevent the development of lice infestation in pregnant cats and kittens, since they have the highest risk of complications due to physiological immunodeficiency. Pregnant cats sick with trichodectosis necessarily infect newborn kittens. Trichodectosis in kittens is very difficult, they lag behind in growth, secondary infectious complications often occur, which can lead to death. Frontline spray can be used in both pregnant cats and kittens from 2 days of age.

Dangers of cat lice to human health

You should not be afraid of parasitizing lice on humans, but occasional bites of parasites are possible during close contact with an infected cat, which can turn around:

• the development of an allergic reaction;
• infection with cucumber tapeworm;
• infection with bacteria or fungi.

Children are especially vulnerable, so they do not allow them to communicate with an infected cat before processing it.

Vlasoids are carriers of dipylidiosis

Precautions for caring for a sick cat

Precautions are simple, since modern means quickly destroy the lice:

• it is necessary to treat the cat with a drug (spray or drops) as soon as possible;
• processing should be done with gloves and a disposable cape to avoid contact with parasites;
• before the destruction of the parasites, the cat must be isolated;

• to destroy the lice, as well as their eggs in the apartment, they carry out wet cleaning with wiping the surfaces with solutions:

  • Neostomazana 2%;
  • Ecocide;
  • Ectomina;
• soft toys for cats, a bed, bedspreads are treated with a steam generator and vacuum cleaned;
• the cat should be given an anthelmintic after treatment for lice.

Prevention of the appearance of lice in cats

In addition to cats, other warm-blooded animals living in the house and having wool are also susceptible to infection with lice. There is practically no risk of infection for a Sphynx cat. The rest of the animals should be carefully examined for the presence of parasites and treated with drops or spray for prophylactic purposes.

Preventive measures include:

• limiting cat contact with stray animals;

• regular preventive use of agents that protect against external parasites:

  • drops on the withers;
  • collars;
  • sprays;
• control of the condition of the skin and coat of the cat;
• providing good living conditions for the cat;
• balanced cat nutrition;
• examination of newly arrived cats for the presence of ectoparasites.

Vlasoids are external parasites of cats, causing damage to the skin and hair. Complications of lice infestation are secondary inflammatory skin infections of fungal and bacterial origin, allergic dermatitis, helminthic infestations, and an immunodeficiency state. Vlase-eaters are easily destroyed by modern veterinary insecticides, but it is very important to prevent them from attacking cats.