Scabies mites are transferred from one person to another by direct
skin-to-skin contact, including sexual contact. The mite does not jump from
one person to another. At controlled temperatures and relative humidity in
the laboratory, scabies mites have survived off a human for 10 or more days,
but under ordinary household conditions, most mites live for only a few days
at room temperature. Clothing and bedding can play a role in the spread of
scabies when worn or used by a person with scabies immediately beforehand
Gaqil

Your cat may have passed this on.

http://www.bobmckee.com/Client%20Info/Skin/notoedric%20mange.html

Either that or your "grown up son" caught them on a fishing expedition.

From a website http://home.earthlink.net/~webmedic4u/scabies.html:
"Scabies is transmitted by intimate personal contact, and is considered a
STD.
But casual contact may be adequate for transmission. Children are more
likely than adults to get scabies because they play close to one another.
Shaking hands, holding, or clasping hands as in children's games can be a
method of transfer.
Pets can't get Human scabies or spread the infection.".

Your son therefore could;ve gottent them just by shaking hands with an
accointance on the street, so he'll probably never find out the definite
source of infection. He is just lucky he found out what it was. When I got
scabies about 10 yrs ago, I went to 3 different GP's here in London, and
they all told me it;s an Excema! It took about 6 weeks of serious scratching
and useless creams before the 4th doctor with some brain (a specialist on a
completely unrelated appointment) finnally said "it's scabies" and treated
me accordingly! Of course i changed the practitioners and I should;ve sued
their a.ses for causing me all the problems and embarassment of telling my
friends and familly to check themselves! I even had to take my guinea pigs
(I had at the time) to the vet for a check up as I wasn;t sure if I possibly
transfered it to them as well!

Gee

if your cats had scabies, you'd know it.

-L.

My cats have the mange and it makes their hair fall out is that
anything like scabies?

Tina

It is physically impossible for an animal to pass the scabies on to
people. Your son most likely is lying to you to keep you off the trail
of the company he keeps. Either that or he got them from you.

                             IBen G.