Ear Mites

These are parasites that infect a cat’s ears. Ear Mites are highly contagious.

Symptoms

• Inflammation
• Head rubbing or shaking
• Excessive ear wax
• Dark brown crumbly debris and a tar like discharge

Causes

Cats and animals can pick up ear mites from one another with just the briefest of contact physically.

Preventative Treatment

Since ear mites are a main cause for ear infections the preventative measures are the same. It is important to keep the cat’s ears clean with a medicated solution that can be bought over the counter at your local pet store or from your vet. Some of these ear cleaning solutions can be applied to the skin and will protect the cat from ear mite infections for up to one month.

Treatment

Your vet will apply a topical solution to the ear after cleaning the ears. Cat’s ears are not like a human’s ears. You must be careful not to stick a queue tip or go to deeply into the cat’s ear with the gauze as this can severely damage your cat’s hearing. If you are unsure of how to clean your cat’s ears please consult your vet. There are some ear mite treatments that can be bought at your local pet store as well.