Ear mites is one of the most common parasites found in cats. Learn how to control it.
Ear mites are a common parasite in cats. Nearly every cat at one point or another will have ear mites. And this parasite can be irritating to your pet--and it can also ultimately be deadly.
Ear mites are tiny white little insects that run around in your cat's ears. If you look on your pet's ears, you should see a shiny pink skin. It should almost be waxy in nature. You might see little white insects running around on the inside of its ears, as well. The other sign that your cat has ear mites is if there is a dark brown greasy substance in the crevices of its ears.
Cats sometimes get ear mites from their mothers soon after birth. If a mother has it, these mites can easily crawl from one pet to another. Ear mites are contagious and that's typically how they are transferred and obtained.
Ear mites will cause your cat to lower one ear close to the ground. It's bothered by that ear. You might even notice your cat scratching at the infected ear. Mites feed off the blood of the ears of cats. They live right there inside your pet. In more advanced stages of ear mites, the mites will continue to scratch the ears of your cat, causing areas to be quite raw, scabs to form, and the hair around your cats ears might fall out. The inside of your cat's ear will become bright red, irritated, and swollen. These mites can invade the inner ear, which can cause dire problems since the inner ear is so close to your cat's brain. If the mites eat away enough of your cat's brain, it could certainly die.
If you think your cat has ear mites, you need to take it to see your vet. Vets have tools that can clean the greasy substances and many of the mites, so your pet isn't as bothered. If your cat has a substantial case of ear mites, your vet may ask you to give you daily medication to your cat's ears, so you can clean its ears yourself. This treatment is necessary for your cat's health and livelihood. You'll be asked to clean out the mites and greasy materials each day with cotton and put in a disinfectant to kill any mites that might be inside. Depending on the severity of your cat's case of ear mites, your vet might ask you to continue daily treatment to your cat's ears for two or three months or more.
