I believe that friends who have experience in raising cats are not unfamiliar with the term "cat moss", which has caused headaches for countless cat owners, and even some of the cat owners have become distracted.
As a person with five years of experience in raising four cats, I will answer your questions in several ways on the issue of "cat moss" today. I believe that after reading this article, everyone will think that cat moss is just a piece of cake.
What exactly is cat moss?
Cat moss is actually a relatively common fungal skin disease in cats. It is more common in malnourished and sickly cats. Multiple areas include round or oval ringworm spots on the face, torso, limbs, and tail, covered with gray scales, and the hair color will become rough. The coat of the ringworm spots will fall off and break off. Or fall off. Cats infected with cat ringworm have a huge itch, so they often rub it on various objects. The course of the disease is long, and bald spots are formed after the scales fall off.
Now it has been found that there are 5 kinds of fungi that can cause skin diseases in dogs and cats, including Microsporum canis, Microsporum gypsum, Moss trichomes, Microsporum odua and Microsporum mutans, of which Microsporum canis is the most common, followed by Microsporum gypsum.
1. Microsporum canis, 70% of tinea in dogs and cats is caused by this fungus, which mainly forms round crusts on the skin. Although it is called Microsporum canis, it can also infect cats, and it can be affected throughout the year. Microsporum canis mainly causes tinea capitis in humans.
2. Microsporum gypsum lives in the soil, and people are also susceptible. The disease is relatively acute and has serious damage. Sometimes it causes large areas of skin lesions. It is prone to secondary bacterial infections and local exudative suppuration. It can last for months or even years after becoming chronic.
3. Microsporum odua and Trichosanthes pilaris are generally transmitted from humans to dogs, cats and cats. Dogs and cats are unlikely to be transmitted to humans. The former mainly causes tinea capitis in children, and the latter is the main pathogen of athlete’s foot in the United States. .
There are two kinds of fungi that infect cats, namely Microsporum canis and Moss licheniformis, 98% of which are Microsporum canis. As the disease evolves, it becomes an irritating dry round macula (tinea vulgaris).
Why does my cat get cat moss?
In fact, many cats have ringworm spores, but they are not allowed if the skin is very good and healthy. Once the skin resistance drops, it will occur. Therefore, many cats will do it even when they are not going out at home and they are not coming. For cats with ringworm, it is important for cats to have high resistance to their skin. If the cat's environment is warm and humid, then the cat is more likely to develop cat moss, and it is very easy to spread. Focus on key points, easy to spread! Therefore, many cat families find that the cat moss must be isolated.
1. Be infected. Fungus is ubiquitous, mainly in dust and soil, and because different individuals have different skin resistance, some cats will not be infected with tinea feline even if they come into contact with objects with fungi, while some cats will. In other words, after human beings carry the germs, they may become infected if they come into contact with healthy cats.
2. The problem of nutrition. Cats are malnourished and have poor skin, which makes them more susceptible to infection. The nutrients needed for good skin are some vitamins (such as niacin), minerals (such as zinc), vitamin b, and some unsaturated fatty acids, taurine, etc. These are not in general food, only in very professional cat food Only in the middle (note that it is not canned food and other snacks).
3. Bathing problem. It is important to choose the right bath liquid. Cats are protected by coats, so the stratum corneum of cat skin is many times thinner than that of humans. In addition, the skin has no sweat glands and few sebaceous glands. This shows that cats’ skin is weaker than humans and takes more baths. When the stratum corneum (the integrity of the skin) is destroyed, the resistance is lowered.
4. The environment in a hot and humid climate may also be infected. Cats like damp and warm places, which is one of the reasons why the fungus rages wildly.
How is cat moss found?
The infected cat moss will appear round or lumpy hair removal on the cat, and you can directly see the bare skin with redness or crusting and a small amount of dander. Teach you a way to check if there is cat moss on your cat's body: keep your hands close to the cat's skin, and carefully touch it from the tail to the head against the hair. If your hand touches small hard bumps or small bumps, open the hair to see if there is a small scab with dander next to it, then it is a new growth of cat moss.
Can cat moss infect human?
Yes, that's why there are always some people who are particularly afraid of cat moss. When the excrement scavenger’s skin is in poor health and the body’s immunity is low, it is easier if the owner of the house has cat moss and the excrement scavenger has contacted the sick cat and has not paid attention to his own cleansing and disinfection. Infected. Clinically, it is manifested as ring-shaped erythema on the trunk, limbs, and even the face, with papules on it, and itching is more obvious. After feline ringworm is transmitted to humans, the patient’s symptoms are more serious than general ringworm diseases, such as more bright red color, more obvious itching, longer treatment period, and mycelium or spores can be found during fungal microscopy. Therefore, after feline ringworm is transmitted to humans, antifungal treatment must be carried out as soon as possible and symptomatically, and the course of treatment must be sufficient. At the same time, attention must be paid to ironing laundry to avoid self-infection.
How to prevent cat moss?
1. Environmental disinfection
When disinfecting, it is necessary to use an odorless, non-irritating and practically non-toxic disinfectant to avoid harm to the cat's sense of smell and skin. Fibers and wool fabrics that cats have been in contact with before are the easiest to act as intermediate transmission media for ringworm, so these things can be exposed to the sun for more exposure, and the disinfection effect of ultraviolet rays is also very good.
2. Increase the body's physical resistance
You can start with the analysis from the cat's daily cat food and food. In addition, add some VB, nutritional cream.
3. Take less bath
It is important to choose a mild and non-irritating bath. The cat’s skin is protected by hair, so the stratum corneum of cat skin is many times thinner than that of humans. In addition, cat skin has no sweat glands and few limb glands. This shows that cat skin It is more fragile than humans. Taking a bath too much will destroy the stratum corneum (the integrity of the skin), and the resistance will be lower.
4. Get more sun
Cats are animals that like to bask in the sun. Sleeping on the sun-drenched bay window for an afternoon is a very pleasant thing for cats, so how can cats with cat moss get help in the sun?
Benefit 1: Sunlight can kill some bacteria and fungi in the epidermis and hair of cats
Benefit 2: Rebalance the cat's body temperature and promote metabolism
Benefit 3: Promote the absorption of calcium and phosphorus in the intestines, enhance physical fitness
Benefit 4: Promote the synthesis of Vd
5. Control indoor humidity
If the room is humid, it is equivalent to a breeding ground for fungi, and it is easy for fungi to grow wildly.
How is cat moss treated?
To treat cat moss, first clean up the skin that has grown moss and wipe off the dandruff from the affected area. It is best to wipe off the hard scab, but don't rub it hard, it will not be good if the skin is broken. You can use salicylic acid to wipe gently and repeatedly. After cleaning the affected area, apply the medicine for treating cat moss, and I recommend several types: compound ketoconazole ointment, compound itraconazole ointment, Fengge full-effect skin ointment. Then, the cat will be bathed regularly with the bath liquid for medicated bath, and the medicated bath liquid plays a role in auxiliary treatment.
Precautions for infected cat moss
A very important point is to supplement nutrition, get more sun, and disinfect the home environment frequently, especially the nests and mats where cats sleep, take out more when the sun is in the sun, and spray the pet with disinfectant to disinfect the floor in the home when there is no sun. , Frequent wiping of furniture can effectively prevent the spread of cat moss. Shovelers should also take precautions, wash their hands frequently, and supplement vitamin B to strengthen their skin resistance.
Finally, I hope that the cats will grow up healthy and healthy, and cat owners must also have enough patience to care for and take care of their cats.
