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 Posted: Mon Jul 28, 2008 1:28 am
Ok, so I just found out the other day that one of my cats, Blackjack, has ear mites. One of my parents friends said to take a q-tip and use it to clean his ears out, so I plan on trying that. Is there anything else that I could/should do to help get rid of them? And can my other cats get ear mites from him?
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Posted: Tue Jul 29, 2008 10:03 am
Yes, ear mites are contagious.
In addition to carefully swabbing out the ears you'll need to kill the mites. You can get ear mite medication from your vet (there might be over the counter stuff available but I'm wary about over the counter pet meds and I don't have any experience with home remedies for mites, though I've heard of a variety of them.)
Treat them asap - you don't want the mites to get deep into the ear canal and start throwing off your cat's balance. I've also heard first hand of an ear mite infestation in a dog that wouldn't clear up and that was causing so much distress that she had to be euthanized, though it's the only case of ear mites that I've heard of that was that bad.
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 8:40 pm
>.<, Ok, so i attempted to clean out Blackjacks ears, but it didn't go very well, I couldn't get him to hold still at all.
Crud. Ear mites are contagious. That means I'm going to have to check all the cats for ear mites. We just got another cat too.
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 9:46 pm
I know its a little late, But you can use Mineral old to kill ear mites, get a eye dropper and every other day put a couple of drops in each ear and give the ears a little rub to get it worked around. It takes a little longer than the stuff that you can buy, but if you keep at it, it works. I feel that its safer to and it helps with hair balls. I all so heard that olive old works just as well but i have never tried it.
At any rate, thats what did to get rid of my cats ear mites when i first got them.
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Posted: Sun Aug 03, 2008 9:56 pm
Get him to the vet for sure. I haven't seen any counter stuff that has helped and it's usually very harsh on their ears. They'll be able to get his ears clean for you too so there's less stress at home.
If you want to try cleaning him at home, try wrapping him tightly (but not too tight) in a towel to reduce his mobility and using a damp cloth on the ears. Talk to him so he doesn't get upset. Make sure it's slightly warm and NOT dripping wet. Getting water down in the inner ear can cause problems. Q-tips are ok if you are very very careful. You should never stick swabs anywhere you can't see as damage can occur very easily.
They should clear up if you get drops from the vet and shouldn't spread to the other kitties as long as you check everybody's ears carefully, treat the affected kitty ASAP, and wash your hand before and after touching each cat.
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