Feline ear issues are frequently caused by ear mites. If treatment is not received, these small parasites can cause long-term harm and excruciating itching. Find out more about them and the effective ways to handle them.
Is your cat more likely than not to scratch its ears? Ear mites are microscopic parasites that are frequently to blame for ear pain in cats.
Cats with Ear Mite Infection
In cats, ear mites, or Otodectes cynotis, are a widespread and usually benign parasitic illness. Contrary to their name, ear mites are highly contagious and can affect areas of your cat's body other than their ears. Ear mite-afflicted cats typically shake their heads and scratch incessantly. Certain cats have a habit of shaking their heads to the point that they cause an ear hematoma. This is the swelling of the ear flap that occurs when blood gathers in the ear as a result of a damaged blood vessel.
Although they can affect cats of any age, ear mites are more common in young cats. Cats who have ear mites may experience hypersensitivity reactions. Your cat's ears will become extremely irritated as a result.
Reasons Why Cats Get Ear Mites
Since ear mites are extremely contagious, your cat may contract them through close interactions with other infected animals. They can be transferred between animals of other species as well as from a parent cat to a young kitten. Nevertheless, people are not impacted by this disease.
Cats with Ear Mite Symptoms
These symptoms are frequently seen in cats with ear mites, mainly as a result of excruciating itching.
1: Rubbing the head, neck, and ears
2: Frequently shaking heads
3: Black or reddish-brown, crumbly, dry discharge in the inner ear canal
Should your cat's ear mites migrate to other body parts, you might notice:
1: Scaling and crusting of the skin on the tail, rump, and neck
2: Widespread scratching and itching. Read This: Which symptoms indicate a cat mite infestation?
Cat with Ear Mite Treatment
After that, the veterinarian will recommend the best course of action for your cat. They might clean your cat's ears to get rid of wax buildup, especially if they are already sedated.
Your veterinarian may advise using one of the several spot-on flea treatments available for treating and preventing ear mites. A veterinarian may recommend additional medicine to alleviate your cat's itching until the mite therapy takes action if it is extremely itchy. Never use medication meant for one animal on another; instead, consult your veterinarian about whether treating additional family pets is required. Additionally, you should never administer medication to the incorrect species because doing so might have hazardous adverse effects.
Applying ear drops is another method of treating cats for ear mites. They are anti-parasitic and typically need to be taken on a daily basis for several weeks. Following the suggested treatment duration is crucial. While some of these products target the mites and their eggs, others target just the parasites. This implies that in order to address every stage of mite development, you might need to maintain the therapy.
Remember that ear mites are easily re-transmitted, so there's a chance they're still present in the house. Make sure to adhere to veterinary-recommended parasite prevention and thoroughly clean carpets and cat bedding to avoid having to restart the process from scratch.
How much time will it take to remove cat ear mites?
Since an ear mite's life cycle typically lasts three weeks, you should give your cat at least that much time to get rid of the tiny insects. As your cat's mite medication takes action, the itching should start to go away. However, if your cat's symptoms don't get better, you should call your veterinarian.
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