Mange in cats is a skin disease caused by microscopic mites that burrow into or live on the skin, triggering intense itching, hair loss, and crusty, thickened patches of skin. It’s less common in cats than in dogs, but when it occurs, it can cause serious discomfort and, without treatment, lead to weight loss, secondary infections, and significant decline in health.
Types of Mange in Cats
Three different mite species cause most cases of feline mange, and each behaves differently. Knowing which type your cat has matters because it affects how the condition spreads and what might be going on underneath.
Notoedric mange (feline scabies) is caused by the mite Notoedres cati. This is the feline equivalent of the scabies mite in humans, and it spreads easily between cats through direct contact. Wandering larvae and nymphs are the stages that pass from one cat to another. It typically shows up first on the ear margins, then spreads to the face and eventually to the paws and legs.
Demodectic mange from Demodex gatoi is unusual among Demodex mites because it’s contagious between cats. This mite lives in the superficial layers of the skin rather than deep in hair follicles, which makes it behave more like a surface parasite. It causes itching and hair loss, and it can spread through a multi-cat household.
Demodectic mange from Demodex cati is a different story. This mite lives deep in hair follicles, is not contagious, and almost always signals an underlying health problem. Cats with this form of mange often have a weakened immune system from conditions like feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), feline leukemia virus (FeLV), diabetes, or cancer. Immunosuppressive medications can also trigger it. Think of D. cati less as something a cat “catches” and more as something that flares when the body can’t keep a normal mite population in check.
What Mange Looks and Feels Like
The hallmark of mange is intense, relentless itching. Cats with notoedric mange scratch so aggressively that they can mutilate their own skin, creating open wounds on top of the crusty, thickened patches the mites produce. The skin around the ears, face, and lower legs develops thick gray crusts and scales, and hair falls out in those areas. In severe or untreated cases, cats may develop fever, lose weight, and become debilitated.
Demodectic mange from D. gatoi also causes noticeable itching and patchy hair loss, though it may appear more widespread across the body rather than concentrated on the head and ears. D. cati infections, on the other hand, can sometimes cause localized hair loss with less dramatic itching, especially early on. Because the underlying cause is often a systemic illness, these cats may also show signs of being generally unwell.
How Vets Diagnose Mange
Diagnosing mange requires finding the mites themselves, which are too small to see with the naked eye. Your vet will likely perform one or more skin scraping techniques, depending on which mite they suspect.
For D. cati, which lives deep in hair follicles, a deep skin scrape is needed. The vet gently squeezes a fold of skin and scrapes it with a scalpel blade to collect material from below the surface, then examines it under a microscope. For D. gatoi and Notoedres cati, which live closer to the skin’s surface, a superficial scrape works better. The vet lightly scrapes across a broad area of affected skin with a blade coated in mineral oil, then checks the collected debris for mites.
D. gatoi can be particularly tricky to find on skin scrapes because cats often ingest the mites while grooming. A fecal flotation test, where a stool sample is processed and examined under a microscope, can sometimes detect mites that were swallowed. Vets typically scrape multiple sites on the body and examine the slides methodically, since missing the mites on a single scrape doesn’t rule out mange.
Why Some Cats Get Mange and Others Don’t
Healthy cats with normal immune systems rarely develop demodectic mange from D. cati. When they do, it’s a red flag. The list of associated conditions is long: FIV, FeLV, diabetes, overactive adrenal glands, toxoplasmosis, certain cancers, and recent immunosuppressive therapy. Shelter cats recovering from systemic illness are also at higher risk. If a cat is diagnosed with generalized D. cati mange, the vet will typically investigate for an underlying disease driving it.
Notoedric mange and D. gatoi infections, by contrast, can strike otherwise healthy cats. The main risk factor is contact with an infected animal. Outdoor cats and those in multi-cat environments are more exposed. There’s also evidence that cats can pick up Notoedres cati from rabbits, which is relevant for hunting cats or those in areas where wild rabbits are common.
Treatment and Recovery
Treatment depends on the type of mite involved but generally involves antiparasitic medication applied topically or given orally. For contagious forms like notoedric mange and D. gatoi, all cats in the household typically need treatment, even if they aren’t showing symptoms yet, to prevent reinfection.
Recovery timelines vary. Some cats respond quickly to treatment, while others need several months before the mites are fully eliminated and the skin begins to heal. Treatment isn’t considered complete just because symptoms improve. Vets confirm a cure by performing follow-up skin scrapings; two consecutive negative results, typically spaced a month apart, indicate the mites are gone. Hair regrowth follows once the skin heals, though the timeline for that varies from cat to cat.
For D. cati mange, the prognosis is less predictable. Because it’s tied to underlying disease, the outcome depends heavily on whether that root cause can be managed. Some cases resolve on their own once the immune system recovers. Others prove stubborn, particularly if the underlying condition is chronic or progressive.
Can Humans Catch Mange From Cats?
Cat mange mites can temporarily get under human skin and cause itching and irritation, but they cannot survive or reproduce on a human host. According to the CDC, the reaction is self-limiting, meaning it resolves on its own once the cat is treated and the source of mites is eliminated. You won’t develop a sustained infestation from handling a cat with mange, but you may be uncomfortable until the situation is under control.