Ear Mites in Cats

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Ear Mites

Ear mites, (Otodectes cynotis) is the most common ear mite of cats.It usually lives in the ears and on the head of affected cats but it cansometimes live on the body of the cat. It is contagious and often affectsmost of the cats in a household. The presence of the mites can cause severeinflammation in affected cat's ears.

Ear mites are not the only cause of ear disease in cats. Cats shouldbe examined to determine if ear mites are present prior to treatment. Whenevertreatment for this condition is not working well other causes of ear diseaseshould be considered.

In the past it was felt that ear mites did not live well off cats butthey may be better at surviving in the environment than we thought. Inorder to eliminate ear mites it is important to treat your cat's ears,the haircoat and the cat's environment for the mites. There are a numberof approved medications for ear mites. Flea control products that killadult fleas will kill mites. These may be used to treat the haircoat andthe house, according to the product directions. In particularly stubborncases, the use of ivermectin, an experimental drug in cats, may be justified.

Mike Richards, DVM

Ear Mites

My cat has ear's mites what medicine should i give him? thanx a lot- Thanx For the info I live in Ca and I am very good at math and scienceThanx again Signed---James

A: James- If you are guessing that your cat hasear mites the best approach would be to have your vet examine your cat'sears. There are a lot of ear infections in cats that are not due to earmites. When mites are present, there are a number of effective medications.It is important to treat your cat with a flea product at the same timeas the ear mite medication since ear mites can sometimes live on the bodyand the flea control medication will kill them, too. We like to use fipronil(TopSpot Rx) in conjunction with ear mite medicine since it is convenient.

Let your vet take a look at your cat's ears to make sure the infectionis due to mites.

Mike Richards, DVM

Frontline and earmites

Q: Dear DR. Mike: Thanks for your time. Would FrontlineTopspot protect a cat from earmite infection to any degree? Or does 'fleacontrol product" you refer to in your info on ear mites mean flea sprayor shampoo only? We rescued several feral kittens and are treating themfor mites correctly, but we are becoming pretty paranoid about infectingour older cats. So far they have had no actual contact. They are in separaterooms- we wash our hands and avoid hugging or holding and such withoutchanging clothes. . I think since we use Topspot we cannot spray them withflea spray. Is there anything else we can do as prevention?

Susan and David

A: The anecdotal evidence (what vets say at meetingsto each other based on their clinical experiences rather than research)suggests that fipronil (Frontline Topspot tm) will eliminate ear mites.We have tried this on a pretty large group of cats recently so I am eagerlyawaiting one of them coming for a follow-up exam --- but haven't seen themyet.

Ear mites can live outside the ears so one of the causes of chronicear mite infections is treating only the ears. When ear mites are outsideof the ears almost any flea control product will kill them. Prior to thenew once a month topicals this usually meant spraying or bathing a catand many times owners were reluctant to do that.

It shouldn't be necessary to use another flea control product whileusing Frontline.

Mike Richards, DVM

Earmites - control with flea products

Q: Dear DR. Mike: Thanks for your time. Would FrontlineTopspot protect a cat from earmite infection to any degree? Or does 'fleacontrol product" you refer to in your info on ear mites mean flea sprayor shampoo only? We rescued several feral kittens and are treating themfor mites correctly, but we are becoming pretty paranoid about infectingour older cats. So far they have had no actual contact. They are in separaterooms- we wash our hands and avoid hugging or holding and such withoutchanging clothes. . I think since we use Topspot we cannot spray them withflea spray. Is there anything else we can do as prevention? Susan and David

A: Susan and David- The anecdotal evidence (whatvets say at meetings to each other based on their clinical experiencesrather than research) suggests that fipronil (Frontline Topspot tm) willeliminate ear mites. We have tried this on a pretty large group of catsrecently so I am eagerly awaiting one of them coming for a follow-up exam--- but haven't seen them yet.

Ear mites can live outside the ears so one of the causes of chronicear mite infections is treating only the ears. When ear mites are outsideof the ears almost any flea control product will kill them. Prior to thenew once a month topicals this usually meant spraying or bathing a catand many times owners were reluctant to do that.

It shouldn't be necessary to use another flea control product whileusing Frontline.

Michael Richards, DVM

Ear Mites in a multiple cat home

Q: I have four cats, three of which seem to beprone to ear mites. I have poured gallons of medication into their collectiveear canals but the problem persists. The medications my vet prescribescall for treating the cats' ears twice a day for two weeks. Aggghhhh!!!Are there any other treatments that can be applied less often? Are thereany home or over the counter remedies that would be effective in keepingthese critters at bay on a routine basis? I can probably line them allup ever other day or so for a cleaning, but treating six ears twice a dayis a bit much for me to handle by myself! Thank you very much!

A: In group situations I think that the best treatmentfor ear mites in cats is almost certainly ivermectin. This medication isonly approved for cats in the form of the heartworm preventative Heartgard(Rx) but it appears to be reasonably safe and very effective against earmites. I have seen several recommended treatment schedules but we usuallyuse it once a month in all the cats for several months. We have used ittopically by putting a few drops in the ears and injectably, with prettymuch equal success. Clients obviously do better most of the time when itis used as a drop.

Ask your vet about this. Some vets are understandably anxious aboutusing a medication in an "off label" manner since it increases liability.Still, in a situation in which approved medications have failed on repeatedattempts it is justified to look for alternatives, I think.

Michael Richards, DVM

Ear Mites

Q: I have a question? My question is that I'm babysitting2 cats that has ear mites. Will it affect my animals ( 2 dogs,1cat,1rabbit)???Please respond ASAP Thanks,

A: If you are babysitting these cats at your homeit is possible for your pets to be infected with the ear mites -- at leastthe cat and dogs. Rabbits have a different ear mite and the rabbit shouldnot be affected.

If you are babysitting these cats at the owner's home it is unlikelythat the mites would be transferred by you to your pets.

If your pets show any signs of ear mite infection such as head shakingor scratching or rubbing their ears, it would be a good idea to have yourvet confirm the presence of ear mites and to treat them if necessary.

Michael Richards, DVM

Push this button to see a ear mite up close and personal

Last edited 01/30/05

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Michael Richards, D.V.M. co-owns a small animal general veterinary practice in rural tidewater Virginia. Dr. Richards graduated from Iowa State University's College of Veterinary Medicine in 1979, and has been in private practice ever since. Dr. Richards has been the director of the PetCare Forum...

 

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