Taking Care of Cats During a Mite Infestation

Always follow label directions when using pesticides, if you have doubts or questions, discuss them with a qualified veterinarian or a pest control operator.

Our cat got sick again recently when I was taking care of our environment, vacuuming and then powdering our apartment. He really likes to stay in corners and on the edges of the room--places that I was treating with pesticide dust in order to kill the mites that sought shelter or wanted on the walls (along with the salt and borax sprinkled all over the floor--this time, I made sure the borax mix didn't get in his food or water).

So, I was convinced that he sat in the corner as he always does when we prepare for bed and then groomed himself--licking up the pesticide dust. He looked lethargic and depressed and vomited. Apparently the pesticide's active ingredient is only mildly toxic but due to a cat's small/poorly functioning liver, cat's are the most sensitive species to pesticide dust.

I vacuumed the pesticide dust and replaced it with Sergeant's Nature's Guardian carpet powder. This powder is even more pet safe than most flea powders marked for cats, so I knew my cat could still rest in the corners and he'd be fine.

If your cat gets a mild poisoning from pesticides, remove the pesticide from the environment, do not apply again. If it is in the cat's coat, wash the cat with non-flea cat shampoo (flea shampoo gives him more poisons to deal with). Give him plenty of water to work the stuff out of his system. Our cat vomited out the poison on his own. It is also a good idea to call a vet. Different poisons have different procedures. You could kill your cat with non-cat flea products--dog flea products often result in the death of a cat. I learned my lesson. I think that Nature's Guardian flea powder is probably the safest for both us and the cat.

One thing we tried was Sergeant's Nature's Guardian spot treatment for cats (putting it on the back of the neck). It is composed of essential oils and is not toxic to cats. The package said that a heavily flea infested environment may require more than one treatment during a month and it was safe to put the stuff on the cat several times a month, although a maintenance dose was once a month. After about three days, the cat was itchy again. Apparently the stuff only worked as long as it was drying into the coat (which makes the cat look greasy and scruffy--he is a long haired cat). So, this product did not work well for bird mites.

I also tried Nature's Guardian cat spray (you spray it all over the coat). It had the same results, plus the cat was very irritated at the spraying noise which is similar to a mother cat hissing.

According to the Nature's Guardian website all their products are the same for cats and dogs except the spot-on treatment for dogs has more of the substance than that for the cats. It says on the website that if you accidentally use the spot-on meant for a dog on a cat, the cat is safe, it's just extra greasy. So, it is safe to buy the powder and sprays from the dog aisle for a cat, just avoid using the dog spot-on on the cat (in any case, the spot-ons don't seem to work well for this line of products against bird mites). The two things I recommend buying that are Nature's Guardian are the carpet powder and carpet/furniture spray that works like an aerosol. Both of these are to treat the environment and are not intended to be applied to the cat itself. This is unusual for a flea product, to be interchangeable and safe for both cat's and dogs.

Today, I went to the vet and got him ivermectin (Heartgard-$35 for six doses in "kitty treat" form for one dose a month--also available for dogs, follow weight and species specific labeling). I used to take ivermectin myself during a time of high bird mite infestation. Even though the birdmites.org site says that it is not effective in killing the mites or is ineffective in preventing bites, my wife and I found that the mites did not like us at all when we were on ivermectin. We stopped treating ourselves in this way as it cost about $100 every month and the doctor said that it had never been tested on humans for such a long time, usually humans only take one or two doses in their entire life for scabies or lice. When my wife had blood work done, I was nervous about her liver and kidney function, but they were normal. Of course, cats and dogs can take a specified dose each month with no problem, it's just that it is not labeled for humans to use it in this way.

Heartgard is given cats to prevent heartworm. Heartworm is carried by mosquitoes and allows for a round worm to lodge itself in the lungs or heart of the cat. Heartworm can be deadly to cats. Ivermectin apparently can kill mosquitoes and roundworms. So all you need to do is go into the vet's office, tell the receptionist you would like to prevent heartworm in your cat and that you would like to buy some Heartgard.

The Heartgard can be bought in six doses a package (one dose per month) and can be used at the same time as Frontline. I also purchased some Frontline from a pet shop and will use it if the cat gets itchy again. A spot-on type product helped the cat get through last summer without itching to death.

I found that the cheaper spot-on treatments were not effective against mites last summer. The lady at the pet store took the three months of doses of Frontline from inside a locked cabinet and it cost about $70.

This is different for the Nature's Guardian essential oil spot-on. The package asks that you not use more than one flea treatment at one time, but the lady at the pet shop said that the cat should be fine if we washed it with a non-flea cat bath before applying the chemical pesticide. Nature's Guardian appears to be the least toxic spot-on, but as I said, it doesn't work well against mites. Of course, use your best judgement and ask a vet if you have questions concerning the dangers to your cats from different treatments.

Of course, if the cat gets into a poison and you need your vet's help, tell her exactly what the cat ate and if possible tell her the name of the product and the active ingredient in the product. She needs this info to save your cat.

When I went to the pet shop, the lady was skeptical that an indoor cat would have fleas, so I told her that we are being bitten by something and the cat is super itchy--this description sounds like it could be fleas, but it is also true for these mites. If you tell them you and your cat have a bird mite problem, they will look at you like you're from outer space and may be unlikely to cooperate in purchasing flea products. In any case, if fleas or heartworms decide to cross your cat's path, you will have done plenty to prevent them--prevention is a perfectly legitimate and on-label use of these products. In the mean time, hopefully they're helping you with bird mites--incidentally.

If you actually take your cat to see the vet, you can explain that you believe he has mites and tell him you are also affected. Many vets are familiar with mite problems and they may help you identify your mite if you do not know the original host. A knowledgeable vet may be your best bet at identifying the problem. It may be a mite problem specific to cats or dogs such as sarcoptic mites (scabies/mange), cheyletiella (walking dandruff mites), or some other external parasite that the vet knows and can treat. The treatment for many cat external parasites is similar to fleas, although the mites will show more immunity to chemical treatments than fleas would. Vets have a number of methods for obtaining samples of external parasites from a cat's coat and can analyze what they find.

It seems the Heartgard is working at the moment as the cat is not scratching or trying to eat something out of its fur, which it does when mites are attacking him. I am curious to see if he will be OK the entire month till the next dose. If not, I am prepared with Frontline. If this doesn't work, I'll look into something else. In any case, he seems very happy and purry with Nature's Guardian powder along the walls and salt and borax on the floors. I brushed him today and played with him--a happy healthy cat.