Cat Sarcoptic Mange and Growth

by Carrie
(Houston TX)

By my house there is a cat colony that has become infected with sarcoptic mange. A few of the kittens I caught and took to the vet and found them homes. The untreated kittens that had the mange never seemed to grow and now as adult cats, are still kitten size. I was wondering if the mange could stunt their growth.

Cat colony update- several of the mange infested cats died, either from the mange or from being run over. Sadly, these aren't the brightest cats when it comes to the road and cars.

The rest of the cats have now been spayed/neutered, vaccinated and treated for mange. Only two cats remain with an obvious infection.

just curious on what it could do to cat development.

Carrie

Editor Comment Cat Mange and Growth

Hi Carrie,

I don’t have any scientific evidence to back this up, but if the cat mange infection was severe enough, I think it could have contributed to the poor growth of the kittens. Particularly in a feral situation, resources are limited.

These kittens were probably trying to fight off mange, intestinal parasites, maybe a viral infection or two, all while living under harsh environmental and nutritional conditions.

Survival took priority over growth, I suspect.
Thank you for helping out with these kitties!

Regards,

Jennifer Coates, DVM