Cat Mange?

purrbuddy

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I am unsure  but I suspect my new shelter cat may possibly have mange. He is sweet, FIV+, I absolutely LOVE him! I will ring the vet tomorrow. The bald patches were noted on his discharge sheet from the shelter by the vet, so whatever the condition is, is something the vet was able to see. Maybe she'll do a skin scraping, I hope. I'm hoping the spreading bald patches and now red scabby spots don't mean mange. He's very itchy, and bites at himself. I am anxious because I'm hoping that if it indeed may be mange, that it isn't the type that could affect myself and my dog. I'm sight-impaired, so hope anything I need to do to treat him will be doable by me. Has anyone else dealt with possible mange in their cat before? Thank you for any responses!
 

alicatjoy

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Congratulations on your new cat. He sounds like he'll be a wonderful addition to your home and family. And, kudos to you for adopting a FIV+ kitty -- they have so much love to give and deserve loving homes just as much as "healthy" cats. Plus, you can easily have FIV+ and FIV- cats together since the disease is not spread through casual contact.

Now, on to the red, scabbed patches on your new kitty. I'm not typically one to jump to the conclusion that a skin issue is mange, ringworm, or the like. While those conditions are a possibility, it is far more likely to be a flea allergy, food or contact allergy, or other bacterial condition. However, I am glad to read that you'll be contacting your vet tomorrow as, regardless the name of the condition, it is one that needs to be treated. A skin scraping will tell whether or not there are mites present. I believe, in cats, you'd likely see sarcoptic mange over demodex, but there is also the possibility of other conditions and mites as well. The fact that he is FIV+ could make him more likely to contract such a condition. A fungal culture may be a wise idea as well in the event that it is ringworm or another type of fungal infection. But, as I said before, flea allergy dermatitis is a definite possibility as well as some other kind of allergy. Where I work, we see a large number of cats with flea allergies who have similar symptoms and they can develop a severe reaction from just one bite. And, where there is fur loss, redness, scaling, or scabbing, you can most certainly inspect an infection as well. So, again, it's a good thing you're heading to the vet.

Most everything skin related can be treated. It may take some patience and multiple visits to the vet for a diagnosis and proper, effective treatment of the condition. But, your new kitty should be fine with a little TLC. And, it sounds as though you have plenty of that to offer. Good luck and please keep us posted on your new cat's condition.
 
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purrbuddy

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Alison Joy, thank you for your wisdom and patience. The shelter worker who does most vet work for the shelter, agreed it was just as you suspected-- a flea bite dermatitis. (Boy, you're GOOD ;) I will make a new thread, in case others have cats with this condition and wish to find the thread by title. Thank you for your time and help. You really were right!
 
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