Feline Scabies

[Smoopy65]

This past week I was given the duty of caring for three 4-5 month old kittens by my boss. When I took them to the vet, I found out that amongst the obvious (with the crusty skin, ears, bloated bellies, missing hair, etc.) they have scabies. I used gloves to handle them and did my best not to put them next to me, but it didn't save me. I have the telling red bumps all over my stomach and chest area that itch like crazy. I know this is the feline scabies. I've read all over the internet that this is a temporary condition because animal scabies and human scabies are different and one cannot survive on the other. Also, I've read that there is no treatment needed for feline scabies on a human, mainly for that reason.

I want to confirm that this is indeed the truth and that I shouldn't go running to my doctor just yet.

Needless to say, I'm no longer caring for these kittens since I quit my job yesterday. (Not because of this.) Please help! I'm hoping you can ease my mind.

[Smoopy65]

Thank you so much! That confirms what I've been doing. I use Benadryl and Caladryl. Wash my bed linens and clothes daily using my regular detergent and adding Borax. I also purchased sulphur soap that I soaped up with every night and left on for ten minutes each time, as well as sulphur cream that I used for spot treatment. I'd read on the internet that the mites hate sulphur. I don't know if that's true, but since the soap has so many uses, I figured it couldn't hurt. I'm in the third week of the "itchies" and it's much better than when it started. In fact, they're nearly gone. Another precaution I took was to keep my cat away from me while they seemed to be active. I would've been pretty upset if I caused him to get these things! Your answer confirmed what I've been reading and I want to thank you for putting my mind at ease!