Lice-eaters in cats

Despite the fact that most owners seek to make every effort to ensure comfort and health of their wards, animals still suffer from various diseases. An example of this is cat lice eaters. Parasites cause great harm to the condition and health of the pet.

What a lice-dog looks like

To determine what kind of pests bother the cat, you need to know what the beetles look like. Lice-eating in cats is a small wingless insect with a body size of 1-2 mm. The long, oval-shaped abdomen consists of segments covered with small setae. Weakly developed eyes and antennae are located on a quadrangular head, which is much wider than the chest. Pests feed on microparticles of wool and epidermis, and they do not disdain the blood that appears on the surface of the body after strong scratching. Below you can see how the cat’s whipworms look in the photo.

Lice beetles breed fast enough. The female makes a clutch in which there are up to hundreds of eggs. She attaches each nite to the hair with the help of a special adhesive substance that her glands secrete. That is why it is not easy to remove the eggs of the eaters. The appeared larvae look very much like adults, they become adults after a month. During this time, young offspring molts three times.

What is a pest dangerous?

Feline lice-eating poses a serious threat to the pet, since its appearance on the body of the animal can cause serious diseases. A cat may develop:

• Helminthiasis - a lice-eater is able to carry eggs of dangerous endoparasites, including tapeworms;
• infectious diseases;
• allergies, as a result of which a rash, swelling and even hair loss can occur;
• loss of appetite is accompanied by exhaustion of the body, weakening of the immune system, the occurrence of anemia;
• the appearance of lice beetles can also cause an exacerbation of chronic diseases.

On a note!

Each owner of a furry pet may have a question about this, Are lice eaters dangerous for humans?. We hasten to reassure, unlike scabies mitesthey do not hit a person. If the parasite gets on human skin, then on it it simply dies from the cold. However, do not forget that the pest is a carrier of dangerous diseases, so its appearance in the house can cause serious problems.

What causes parasites

Surprising is the fact that even the most well-groomed cat is not safe from infection with pests. However, a pet can pick up lice-beings during a walk or in contact with another animal. It is also highly likely that a parasite or its eggs can be brought into the house by a person on his shoes or clothes.

A cat can become infected with a pest when a rodent infected with parasites is caught. The reason for this can also be poor pet care and poor nutrition. The infection of small kittens can even be their cat mother, on the body of which parasites live.

Therefore, it is very important to determine the signs of a cat’s water-hunger in time and take appropriate animal protection measures.

Signs of the presence of moisture

The presence of parasites can be determined if you know the symptoms of lice-eating in cats:

• itching - the cat constantly itches, sometimes even trying to gnaw insects;
• the presence of wounds, abrasions and scratches, which are formed as a result of strong scratching; they can be accompanied by swelling and inflammatory processes;
• the presence of parasitic waste products on the skin of the cat;
• baldness - loss of hair is possible with an excessively large accumulation of lice;
• the cat’s behavior changes - it becomes lethargic, weak and irritable, stops playing and listening to its owner;
• against the background of constant itching, insomnia may occur.

Such symptoms indicate the need for a thorough examination of the pet.

On a note!

It is also possible to detect water-eating in the cat’s hair in this way. It is enough to place your favorite under the lamp or next to the heater. After 10-15 minutes, at the ends of the woolen hairs, it will be possible to notice the moving parasites rushing to the heat source. But lice, ticks or fleas do not react to heat at all.

How to treat

The question of how and with what to treat the animal when parasites are teeming in its coat arises for each owner who has encountered such a problem. Treatment for lice-eating cats involves the use of flea antiparasitic drugsthat have a wide spectrum of action. They can be purchased at any veterinary pharmacy in Moscow or a provincial city. Their use makes it possible to conduct treatment at home independently.

Remedies for whipworms are available in various variations.

• Spray - One of the most effective drugs, which is based on insecticidal components. Not only ticks or lice-eaters are afraid of him, but also fleas, and even lice. The solution is sprayed onto the body of the pet in the opposite direction to hair growth. It is important to prevent the insecticide from entering the eyes and mouth of the cat or cat.
• Drops from catworms for cats have an aerosol-like composition. The medicine is applied to places inaccessible for licking (on the spine or withers of a cat).

  

• Shampoo - the remedy is less effective, since it is not always possible to cure them completely of the whipworms. However, it is safer to remove parasites than other drugs. In many respects, it depends on the degree of infection of the pet's hair with parasites. The cat's wool is treated with a detergent, thoroughly foaming it. Leave for 3-5 minutes, then rinse with running water. The use of this antiparasitic agent requires repeated processing.
• Collar - Another method of removing pests. It is saturated with an insecticidal solution that is harmful to parasites. The method of application is quite simple - you just need to put on a medical accessory on the neck of the pet.
• Tabletsintended for internal use, help fight various types of skin parasites, including lice beetles.
• Emulsions - the suspension is diluted in accordance with the description. The resulting solution is rubbed into the skin of a cat.

The following brands of veterinary products are especially popular with consumers: Bayer, Bars, Stronhold, Front Line, Bio-Grom, Merial, Irbis, Bioniks, Hartz. Whichever of these tools you purchase, it is important to follow the manufacturer's recommendations and observe safety measures.

To get rid of the whipworm of kittens, as well as cats with sensitive skin, it is preferable to use treatment with folk remedies. Animals are bathed in a decoction of a string of bitter wormwood or chamomile. However, such procedures should be treated in the early stages of infection, and it is better to use them for prevention.