DISEASES OF THE SKIN 83 



Mange in the cat is communicable to man, but, 

 strange to say, when the parasites are thus trans- 

 ferred, they only induce a temporary form of itch, 

 and certainly not severe like that brought on in 

 true cases of human itch, which so often appears 

 between the fingers ; therefore the presence of a 

 mangy cat need cause no undue alarm so far as 

 the members of the household are concerned. 



When cats are allowed access to stables where 

 horses are kept in a dirty and unhealthy condition 

 and affected with mange, they (cats) sometimes 

 contract the disease from this source, whilst the 

 converse statement also applies. A mangy cat soon 

 becomes a wreck, but the progress of the disease 

 certainly varies sometimes being slow, at others 

 rapidly extending over the body. 



Where a number of cats are kept together as in 

 cat boarding establishments, there is a special 

 liability to contract this malady, so that it is never 

 advisable to send cats to such homes, private 

 boarding places being preferable ; and most 

 veterinary surgeons will take cats in for this 

 purpose, the only difficulty being that cats are 

 extremely difficult to feed when they go into a 

 strange place, moping and refusing food, almost up 

 to the point of starvation, in many cases. 



Veterinary inspection at shows unquestionably 

 curtails the spreading of mange from such a 

 source. 



