Detecting and Effectively Treating Ear Mites in Cats
If your cat suddenly starts scratching their ears noticeably often, this may be an indication of ear mite infestation. The mite species are responsible for half of the ear infections and it’s important to keep an eye on your cat.
What are ear mites?
Ear mites (Otodectes cynotis) are tiny arachnids with a diameter of less than half a millimetre. The small parasites prefer to infest the ears of their host, which is why they are called ear mites.
When ear mites get into the ears of the cat, they sting into the skin and feed on the secretions that come out. The complete life cycle of the ear mite lasts about three weeks, which they spend completely in the ears of their host.
Ear mites reproduce very quickly. In case of a severe infestation, there can be up to 2,000 individual mites in one ear. If you look closely, you can perceive the ear mites as tiny moving dots in the auricle of the cat.
This is how the cat gets infected with ear mites
The transmission of ear mites usually occurs through direct contact with an already infected conspecific or another animal. Experience shows that young cats are particularly susceptible to ear mites.
Since ear mites can survive for a few weeks outside the cat ears under the right conditions, a transmission of the parasites is also possible indirectly. This circumstance plays an important role not least for the successful treatment of a cat with ear ruffles.
A transmission to humans is possible but very rare. Nevertheless, it is advisable to be careful when dealing with a cat suffering from ear mites.
Detecting ear mites in cats
Infestation with ear mites leads to so-called ear rasping in your cat. This leads to an ear infection and various other complaints.
If a cat suffers from ear mites, this can manifest itself mainly through the following symptoms:
- Severe itching and excessive scratching
- Frequent shaking of the head
- Redness in the auditory canals
- leakage of dark brown ear secretion
- Formation of incrustations in the ear
In addition, in individual cases, untreated ear mite infestation may spread over the entire body of the cat and cause dermatitis (itchy, extensive skin eczema).
However, it is not possible to say in advance exactly how severe the symptoms mentioned above will be. There are cats that do not seem to be affected by ear mites and do not show any symptoms.
Diagnosis of ear mites in the cat
If you are concerned that your cat may be suffering from ear mites, you should make an appointment with your vet as soon as possible. The veterinarian can usually diagnose the mite infestation quite easily.
A quick look through the otoscope is usually enough to detect the parasites in the ear canals. In case of doubt, at the latest an examination of the earwax, which is abundant in cats with ear ruffles, provides certainty.
Treat ear mites in cats
Once your suspicions have been confirmed by the vet, it’s time to start treating the parasite infestation. The vet will usually give you an ointment or drops for local application.
The treatment usually works well, so the cat's ear rash should disappear within a week. However, due to the risk of infection, it’s important to treat other animals living in the household as well.
Infants should not have any contact with the cat for the duration of the treatment if possible.
Ear care is not only important during the treatment
In addition to using the product prescribed by your vet, it is important to clean your cat's ears daily as part of the ear mite treatment. For this purpose, we recommend that you use ear care drops from I love my cat.
The high-quality ear drops with aloe vera and other well-tolerated ingredients are not only ideal for cleaning the ears of cats with ear ruffs. They are also a good choice for daily ear care in healthy animals.
Prevent ear mites in cats
It is practically impossible to exclude ear mite infestation in cats with absolute certainty. At least in outdoor areas, contact with infected conspecifics can hardly be avoided.
Nevertheless, you can take appropriate hygiene measures to reduce the risk of ear mites in your cat, or to support the treatment of an existing ear rash.
After all, ear mites can survive for a few days without a host and thus lead to either a first or renewed infestation of your four-legged friend.
Therefore clean your cat's sleeping area regularly and wash pillows or blankets in the washing machine. Vacuum and wipe the floors of your home thoroughly and also pay some attention to your cat's personal hygiene.
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