What do I do about mites on my cat?

[Lady Lilya]

HELP!

I have found 4 mites on myself over the course of the past 2 days. When I finally saw the cat, I looked in his belly fur and they were obviously there in large numbers.

(I know all of you are going to say that if I can see them they aren't mites, but I can see things smaller than other people can. These are about the size of the tiniest dot you can possibly make with a very sharp pencil.)

I heard eucalyptus oil. I got some and apparently it isn't safe if the cat licks it. But it is safe on our skin.

I put dots of the eucalyptus oil on the mattress pads under the fitted sheets. I put them on the pillows under three pillow cases. I put them on the couch in places we wouldn't likely come in much contact with.

The cat has been sleeping on the toddler bed (that our toddler doesn't use, since he co-sleeps.) I put a lot of dots of eucalyptus oil on the underside of the blanket that is on that bed. I don't know if he will stop sleeping there because of the scent.

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So, what can I put onto my cat to kill the mites before they start really harming him? I read that they burrow under the skin to lay their eggs, causing the skin to get irritated and the fur to fall out.

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[Ann-Marita]

Are these crawling insects? Diatomaceous Earth is effective against crawling insects. I have found it in plant nurseries, the ones that are more natural-oriented. Look for "food grade", not the kind they use in pool filters.

I saved a spice jar that has a shaker lid and filled it with DE. Sprinkle it on like flea powder, concentrating on the back of the neck, base of tail, anywhere the mites seem to hang out. Don't get it in your pet's eyes, and breathing the dust isn't great - not terribly harmful, but not great.

DE is non-toxic, and can even be eaten, where it will treat intestinal worms.

Depending on what the life cycle of the insect is, you may have to continue treating daily for a couple of weeks to completely break the life cycle.

[greenmagick]

are you sure they are mites and not seed ticks? Either way, if the infestation is that large I would probably go to a vet. You want to positively know what you are treating so you know how to treat it. There are different types of mites and I am not positive treatment for all is the same

[Lady Lilya]

Seed ticks are just baby ticks. And even then, they are considerably larger than mites.

I've treated mite infestations before, but with chemicals I wouldn't want to use now that there is a child in the house.

[greenmagick]

I know when my rats got mites, they got an injection on ivermecin (sp?) from the vet. I dont like using chemicals on them, but since it was an injection, there was nothing to rub off.

[Asher]

I agree with (make sure it's food grade!) DE. I used that on my chickens as well and yes, they are totally "easy" to see if you know what you're looking for.

[phatchristy]

Originally Posted by greenmagick

I know when my rats got mites, they got an injection on ivermecin (sp?) from the vet. I dont like using chemicals on them, but since it was an injection, there was nothing to rub off.

The breeders I know alternate between ivermectin and selemectin (excuse my spelling on that one). Most effective! Has to be done at least twice, with a 2 week interval between.

There's also shampoos that can be done...an alternate to look into if your cat will tolerate it.

[Heavens]

Take your cat to the vet. This can go badly quickly and a prompt visit will save you a lot of time and worry.