Effective Management of Notoedres cati in Cats: A Comparative Study of Selamectin Spot-on and Ethnoveterinary Medicine
Jatavath Jyothi *
Department of Veterinary Medicine, PVNRTVU, Mamnoor, Telangana, India.
K.Manasa
C.V.Sc, Rajendranagar, India.
V.Sai Charitha
Department of Veterinary Medicine, PVNRTVU, Mamnoor, Telangana, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
A total of 4500 clinical cases of domestic cats presented to the Veterinary Clinical Complex (VCC), Rajendranagar, between 2022 and 2024 were screened for Notoedres cati infestation. Out of these, 250 cats (5.5%) were diagnosed positive based on the characteristic clinical signs, symptoms and microscopic examination of deep skin scrapings revealing Notoedres cati mites. The occurence of the disease was found to be males (54%) and females (46%), indicating a slightly higher susceptibility in males. Among the naturally infested cats, 60% were between 6 months to 1 year and 40 percent between 1 to 2 years. Affected cats exhibited typical lesions of notoedric mange including alopecia, crusting, hyperkeratosis, excoriations and intense pruritus with lesions primarily on scantily haired regions such as the ear margins, face, neck, and forelimbs. Some of the cat owners also developed pruritic skin lesions on their hands and wrists which confirms zoonotic disease transmission. The study evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of Selamectin spot-on (6 mg/kg body weight) and an Aloe vera-virgin coconut oil formulation using Z test in 250 naturally infested cats divided equally into two treatment groups (n=125 per group) irrespective of gender, age and sex with mean lesion scores evenly distributed between the 2 groups. The cats treated with Selamectin (Group I) reached their best recovery point at day 21 after treatment but the cats receiving the ethnoveterinary formulation (Group II) needed until day 28 to show substantial improvement in the reduction of mean lesion scores. Both the treatments were effective, but Selamectin provided quicker recovery than the Aloe vera - Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) combination which offered lower costs and better environmental sustainability. The research confirms that Notoedres cati continues to affect domestic cats in Hyderabad while demonstrating the need for prompt diagnosis and standard treatment protocols to stop disease relapses and animal-to-human transmission.
Keywords: Notoedres cati, Selamectin, aloe vera-virgin coconut oil, cats, Hyderabad