The Listrophoridae have elongated bodies, 430 to 520 µm in length, and mouth parts modified for grasping hairs. The large eggs, which can measure over 200 µm in length, are attached to the cat's hair similar in manner to the louse nit.
The flap-like sternal extensions of the mite encircle the hair with a clasp-like hold and travel around the hair shaft over the cat's body. Because these mites are small, distinctly elongated in shape, and are primarily found attached to the hair shaft over the body, it is easy to differentiate them from the cat louse, Felicola subrostrata, or Notoedres and Otodectes mites.