Cat external parasites are insects covered with rough chaetas and Arachnids, which live on the surface of skin and under the skin, they are sanguivorous or eat skin cells.
Fleas are most widespread external parasites. These are wingless sanguivorous insects, colored dark-brown that are able to jump very far relative to their body size. They parasitize on cats as well as on dogs and other animals, though there are specific species of fleas typical only for cats or for dogs. All kinds of fleas may feed on human blood as well.
If a cat is well groomed there are no fleas on it. Big amount of them on your pet is abnormal, unnatural. A couple of fleas are able to reproduce quickly and cause a hard disease. Big amount of parasites cause anemia in kittens, old and weakened animals, which may result in death. Fleas sometimes are transmitters of tapeworms. Their bites often cause intensive scratching and then - inflammations.
Female fleas usually lay eggs outside body of carrier, since eggs of fleas are sticky; they are white and as small as grains of salt. If female fleas lay many eggs, some part of them may stay on hair and another part may penetrate in blood. Excrements of fleas are black, but when dissolved in water, the latter gets blood-red color.
A period from two days to two weeks passes when eggs develop into larvae. Larvae look like little flies 0.5 cm long, colored from white to milk-yellow. Larvae and eggs may be inside slits on the floor, nap of carpet and bedding. Larvae eat not much and gradually turn into pupae, which develop into adult individuals. It takes from 10 days to several months (depending on surrounding conditions) for a flea to develop into an adult stage from larvae. Adult fleas may go without food for months.
Most part of their life cycle fleas spend on cat, but in order to succeed in combating them one must clean all other animals in the house along with cats. Washing, burning of infected beddings, thorough vacuuming help get rid off the parasites. Special antiflea preparations are considered as effective.
If fleas have appeared on you cat, first of all wash it. You may use an ordinary shampoo for this purpose or a special shampoo for cats with antiflea adding. During washing with an ordinary shampoo one should remember that this remedy removes fleas only mechanically. If you rinse hair badly after washing, most amount of fleas will stay on hair and, as soon as it will dry up, will spread all over the body.
After washing treat hair with antiflea preparations, considering the fact that one may use only those, which are harmless for cat health. The most convenient are those remedies that are applied on a wet hair like a shampoo. One shouldn't use remedies for dogs or other animals. There are also a big variety of aerosols and dry preparations with an antiflea effect, which are sprayed on the whole surface of body and then thoroughly removed. It is better to consult with your vet what remedy exactly to use.
Antiflea collars with a lining saturated with phosphoric acid ester have a good effect. They are often imported. The lining lies in plastic container in order to avoid contact with skin and hair. Phosphoric acid ester kills fleas. Antiflea collar is appropriate only for a healthy cat, which is more than two month old. Put on the collar so that one or two fingers loosely pass between the collar and neck. Don't wet the collar, because it will lose its properties. Phosphoric acid ester may cause contact dermatitis in area where the collar touches the neck. The skin gets red and hair may come out in these regions. If to put off the collar these effects disappear automatically without any treatment. Sometimes in order to avoid contact dermatitis it is enough to air the collar for two or three days before application.
The easiest way to remove fleas is combing out. But this method is appropriate only if there are plenty of fleas and you can see them. After combing one should use other more effective instruments.
As a home remedy one may also use brewer's yeast and eucalypt leaves, which can be found in a drugstore.
There are also flying parasites (flies, mosquitoes, forest bugs), which also can attack cats. These insects are sanguivorous. They stick to skin and are best of all removed by special aerosols and powders.
Louses. They appear in well-groomed cat much rarely then fleas and ticks.
Adult louses are almost colorless and very small. All their life they live on the skin of cat and lay small white eggs on its' hair. Some louses are sanguivorous, but some of them eat pieces of skin. They cause strong itch and may be transmitters of tapeworms. In order to remove louses off cat several washing procedures with special remedies against fleas and ticks may be enough.
Ear tick. It settles in acoustic duct of cat or dog. This parasite forms big amounts of black or red-brown substance, which causes strong itch. A cat affected by ear ticks scratches ears and shakes its' head hoping to get rid off unpleasant feeling. Carefully remove products of vital activity of ticks out of acoustic duct with a cotton tampons. In the washout one may see an ear tick. It is best seen under magnifier. This is a very active insect, colored white and shining, and as large as needle head.
The treatment includes frequent cleaning of ears and wiping of affected areas with remedies against ear ticks. A veterinary surgeon will give you an advice about specific medicine and frequency of treatment. If the treatment is correct and regular the recovery usually comes quite quickly.
Biting louse. This is a tiny insect. It attacks cats, dogs and people as well. The louse goes under the skin causing strong itch and shedding of hair. Usually it chooses parts of head and muzzle covered with hair, but may settle on other parts of body. The skin on the hairless area becomes swelled, wrinkled and covers with gray scabs. Sometimes this may occur on limbs and under tail. Biting louse is easily transmitted from one cat to another. After the accurate diagnosis a vet fixes the necessary treatment on the period till probes of analyses for biting louse are negative. Along with ointments antibiotics are sometimes prescribed.
Flies. Mature flies are not cat parasites, but they may lay eggs inside wounds. After they hatch larvae live inside tissues and cause a disease called myiasis.
One may find larvae inside wounds on ears and skin of body. It is necessary to remove them out of wound, treat the wound with antibacterial medicines and bandage or paste a plaster on the injured area.
The preventive measures should begin from the first days of kitten's life. A cat that is well fed, well groomed, clean, healthy and without parasites has all chances to have long and healthy life.
Translated by Tatiana Karpova (Moscow)
(MSU, Biology faculture, Dep. zoology and ecology).