Common cures for ear mites in cats

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Of all the organs in the body of a cat, skin and ears are the most vulnerable. While skin

conditions are more visible, an infection in the ear requires keen observation and can be

detected only if you are regular and observant while grooming your pet cat or dog.

Ear mites live by tunneling into the ear canal of cats. The automatic response of the cat’s

body is to produce more wax to combat the invasion by cat ear mites. Severe infections

give rise to an offensive smell. If not attended to in time ear mites can lead to secondary

infections in cats.

Cat and dog ear mites cause intense itching compelling the pet to shake its head

vigorously. This can cause abscesses or cuts. Treating ear mites at the first sign of

their prevalence can save a lot of discomfort to the cat as well as owners.

Severe infection of ear mites may require you to visit your veterinarian for a properly

cleaning of the ear. This procedure is so thorough that it might even necessitate a

general anesthesia in certain cases. Mild to moderate infections are treated with topical

ointments, injections and oral medication.

Many topical ointments kill only adult mites and are ineffective in eradicating the mite

eggs. The entire ear mite life cycle of three weeks is spent off the host. That means

that topical treatment must continue for the total span of mite life cycle. Topical

treatments that contain antibiotics to contain inflammations and secondary infections

are preferred as they require lesser time to show results.

Injections for treating ear mites in cats are not approved by the FDA but are still used

by veterinarians. Depending upon the severity of the infection a course of two to four

injections is normally used to eradicate mites.

Ear mites by themselves are not a very big problem if proper and timely attention is paid

to their treatment. The problem starts when ear mites lead to secondary infection. Groom

your cat regularly and pay special attention to its ears for signs of wax accumulation,

thickening of the external ear (pinna) and bad odor.

The worrying fact is that ear mites may never completely disappear from the body of

your cat. In such a scenario, prevention is the best cure. Some very effective home

remedies for dog ear mites block the breathing pores of mites to suffocate and kill

them can be of great help for cat ear mites too. Periodic cleaning of the ears will

save your cat from developing serious infections. In multi-pet homes this is all the

more necessary because ear mites are highly contagious and can transmit to other

pets as well as humans.

References:

To learn more about Ear Mites in Cats or Ear Dr Ear Mite Treatment