What is Mange on a Cat?
"Mangy cat" is a common enough slur thrown at down-on-their-luck felines, but in fact cat mange is a fairly rare condition, much more common in dogs. Nevertheless, some cats do get the mange and it can be an intractable problem for cat owners to resolve, especially in a safe and natural way. So does your cat have mange? Well, mange is actually just a description of the set of symptoms that accompany a mite infestation in your cat. The symptoms of cat mange include skin infection, rash, hair loss, hair matting, and the typical itching and scratching that go with an irritating feline skin condition.
Mange in cats includes several related conditions including demodectic mange caused by one species of mites, ear mites, feline sarcoptic mange, and notedric mange. The last two are at times called feline scabies, after the similar condition in dogs, but they are different health conditions. Some forms of feline mange are contagious (notedric mange, in particular) and some are not (demodectic), but in most cases if your pet has mange then you too may see red bumps or a rash on your own skin, a symptom of mite bites.
Cat mange treatment begins with strengthening your cat's immune system, since mites can't easily take advantage of healthy cats. Increasing your cat's sulfur intake with food supplements such as garlic can help fight off mites and support the immune system. A variety of drugs and steroids are generally administered by vets, with different treatment regimes for different mites. However natural immune support, nit-combing, and Ted's Mange Cure are effective home mange treatments.
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