Chewing Lice On Cats

Chewing lice at a glance.

Chewing lice on cats.

To diagnose cat lice simply observe your feline friend. In general fleas make cats itchier and more uncomfortable than lice do. 3 lice are treated with insecticide shampoos and spot treatments but can require several cycles of treatment. You may notice your cat scratching or biting the area that has been affected by lice.

The affected area may include the head ears shoulders groin tail and anus. Because lice chew on your kitty s skin they can cause intense itching hair. But only one species of lice makes its home on cats a species called felicola subrostratus this is a species specific to cats and does not infest people dogs or other pets. If you notice excessive itching grooming or poor hair coat it could be lice says dr.

A heavy lice infestation could lead to a scruffy unkempt look and excessive scratching can lead to raw or bald patches. The lice found on cats are not the same type of lice found on people but they can still cause irritation by chewing on the skin or sucking blood. These pests are passed through direct contact with an infected cat or indirect contact with bedding or grooming tools containing the lice or their eggs. 2 these lice are rare for cats and dogs but more commonly infest old or infirm animals.

Lice are actually very small insects that feed by chewing on the skin of the animal they are infesting in this case the cat. Lice are generally not zoonotic meaning that feline lice can t infect humans and human lice won t infect felines. Lice are external parasites that feed on the skin cells sloughed from mammals.