Dealing with Ear Mites in Cats
Feline Ear Mites Have a Simple Solution
Feline ear mites are tiny tick relatives that live in your cat’s ear—the mites live in other pets, too, but infection in cats is more prevalent. The scientific name for cat ear mites is Otodectes cynotis, but your cat would simply call them enormous irritants.
Ear mite in cats present as a dark brown discharge in the ears that resembles coffee grounds and is made up of waxy debris, dried blood, tissue, and ear mites. Your cat will shake her head and may scratch her ears hard enough to make them bleed. It’s usually around this time that the owner will notice the problem and take the cat to the veterinarian. The veterinarian will take a sample of debris left by the cat ear mites to examine under the microscope and check for a secondary bacterial infection.
The Life Cycle of Cat Ear Mites
Ear mites are parasites with a short life cycle. An ear mite egg can become an adult in 21 days. Young cats can be more susceptible to heavier mite infestations and suffer more from irritation. Apparently, cats develop some immunity to the mites with age. The mites spend most of their life inside the cat’s ears, but they can and do wander around the head, face, and sometimes even the body. Since cats tend to sleep curled up with their tails around their heads, you may find feline ear mites down by his or her tail.
Be careful with other pets, too—ear mites in cats can spread to dogs, rabbits and ferrets, but because mites walk, not jump, close contact is required for the mites to spread. Human cases are extremely rare, so your cat should still be able to curl up in your lap during treatment.
Fighting Feline Ear Mites
In the past, oils, such as vitamin E, were used to treat ear mites in cats. The oil drowned or suffocated the mites and the cat’s skin healed over. Sometimes, topical medications containing pyrethrins (bug killer) were used, too.
Today, we have more effective weapons for these pests. One treatment of the topical version of ivermectin and milbemycin is often enough to treat your cat’s ear mites effectively. Gently cleaning out the debris with a mild solution helps the medication get directly to the mites.
Flea treatments usually kill all the mites on the pet’s body, too, and may even take care of the ones in the ear canal, so using a flea product may be enough to clear your household of mites.
You need to be sure to treat each pet that has come in contact with the infested cat—ear mites in cats will migrate back and forth between them—and don’t forget to screen for any secondary infections related to the damage the mites cause to the skin in the ear. Low-grade secondary bacterial infections are common and can usually be cleared up with antibiotics.
Dr. Eldredge, DVM, graduated from Cornell University and was the first recipient of the Gentle Doctor Award. She is also a writer, winning national awards from the Cat Writers Association of America and the Dog Writers Association of America. She lives in upstate New York with seven dogs, one cat, six horses, two donkeys, nine ducks, thirteen sheep, one goat and three primates – her husband, daughter and son.