Cat Ear Mite Treatment

A cat ear mite is a parasite that lives in the ear canal of the pet and feed on the ear wax and dead skin cells. The condition can be very unpleasant for the cat, as he will constantly feel the mites moving inside his ears and the parasites cause extreme itchiness. Mites can thrive in all humid and dark areas, but are commonly found in the cat’s ears.

Detect Feline Ear Mites

Your pet will show multiple symptoms if infected with ear mites:

• Scratching his face and ear area; the scratching can be so intensive that the cat may cause bleeding wounds
• Tilted head and flattened ears
• Frequent head shaking; the cat tries to get rid of the mites and shakes his head
• Foul odor in the ear area
• Excessive production of ear wax; you may notice that the ear wax of the cat is darker and you may even see the mites, which are white dots moving
• The cat is more irritable and may become aggressive

Very commonly, cats with mites may have a secondary infection such as the yeast infection, which will cause more irritation and itchiness.

Cat Ear Mites Treatment

A vet may diagnose the mites by taking a sample of the cat’s ear wax. The symptoms of ear mites may also point to ear canal infections, so make sure to consult a vet.

Before you apply any treatment, you should clean the ears of your cat. Cleaning will play an important role in treating the mites. Get some cotton swabs and remove the debris and the ear wax. Use reassuring words and gently introduce the cotton swabs, no more than 1 inch in the cat’s ears; be careful not to touch the eardrum, which can be perforated and this may cause deafness.

The vet will prescribe a mineral oil, which you should apply in your pet’s ears; use a syringe or an ear dropper and massage the cat’s ear area, so as to make sure the oil enters the ear canal. The oil is meant to dissolve the debris and the hardened ear wax. The oil should be kept in the cat’s ears for 1 to 2 hours, after which you should clean the cat’s ears. If there is still hard ear wax left, you can use some distilled water to get rid of the rest of the debris. Next, apply an oily insecticide prescribed by the vet and massage the ear area.

Apply this treatment twice per day, until you notice that there is no longer an excess of ear wax production.

The mites should be gone within a week, but you should repeat the treatment after a week, as the mites will breed in the ear canal and new parasites can develop.

Should the vet detect a secondary infection, he will prescribe antibiotics and possibly fungicide creams (i.e. for yeast infections).

Consult your vet as soon as you notice the first signs of mites or unusual behavior in your cat; if left untreated, ear mites may cause hearing loss.