Cat lice look like dandruff, and at first you might mistake them as such. A flake of dandruff, however, does not move, but if you look closely, you'll see the lice move and know that it's not a dander problem.

Cat lice are not communicable to people, nor should you use any chemical made for people on a cat. Ever.

All forms of lice are "species specific". This means that they will NOT pass from cats to people or from people to cats. Your cat's lice and those that children bring home from school are two different critters!

The simplest way to get rid of feline lice is to bathe the cat once with a grooming shampoo, then after the cat is dry, apply your favorite fleas and tick product. Most of these kill lice even if it doesn't say so on the label. I prefer Advantage and Frontline, because I know they work, but if you have a product that you like to use to keep fleas off you cat, try that. Do not use the canine product Advantix! That may kill your cat.

The good thing about Advantage and Frontline is that they keep killing pests for about a month, sometimes more. You will not need to be as aggressive about cleaning your house as you would have been in the past. One thorough vacuuming and laundering of the cat's bedding should be sufficient to wipe out the population, because even if a louse hops onto your cat, it won't be able to live on him for long.

Learn more about this author, Joshua Keyes DVM.
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