Treatment of ear mites in cats: symptoms, treatment, prevention

Otodectosis is a very unpleasant disease caused by the appearance of ear mites in an animal. It happens quite often in pets, mainly cats and dogs. Other animals also suffer from it - for example, foxes and other fur-bearing animals. The question of whether ear mites in cats are dangerous for humans worries many owners who have encountered the disease in their pet.

What a parasite is, how an animal is infected, what symptoms are typical, and whether the disease is transmitted to humans is important to know for everyone who has dogs or cats in their home.

What are ear mites?

The ear mite (Otodectes cynotus) is a fairly close relative of the spider, a small arthropod belonging to the class of parasites. It usually chooses dogs and cats as “hosts,” causing them to develop a dangerous disease called otodectosis (popularly known as ear scabies). Ticks like the warm and moist environment inside the animal's ear - they settle there, becoming a source of mechanical irritation and provoking inflammatory processes. Ear mites in cats are not a death sentence, but if you are faced with a cat ear mite problem, treatment is necessary, otherwise you may lose your pet.

What does an ear mite look like in cats?

This insect is pale yellow in color with an oval body of uneven contour up to 0.6 mm long. If you suspect a disease, you can carefully insert a cotton swab into the securely fixed animal's ear and remove several parasites along with their waste products. By placing the stick on a dark surface, you can see and find out with your own eyes what ear mites are in cats; Photos of this harmful insect are presented in abundance on the Internet, and comparing these pictures and what you get from a cat’s ear is a matter of just a few seconds. If your vision leaves much to be desired, it is recommended to use a magnifying glass.

Treatment

A correct diagnosis can only be made in a veterinary hospital after taking scrapings and conducting research.

It is better to leave the choice of medications to a specialist, since it is necessary to take into account the age of the pet, its general condition and the degree of tick infestation.

In treatment, agents for external use, subcutaneous injections and a mixed version are used.

For external use use:

• Drops are the most common option due to their ability to penetrate the ear canal.
• Ointments. Due to the components contained, they not only kill parasites, but also relieve itching. Some of them are contraindicated for pregnant animals and kittens.
• Sprays are in demand due to their ease of use. They have restrictions for weakened pets and those with infectious diseases.

Treatment

With the external method of treatment, it is necessary to first clean the cat’s ears with a cotton swab with a disinfectant solution, and only then apply the product to the affected areas.

Acaricidal preparations are used for subcutaneous injections. They promote the production of butyric acid, which enters the parasite's body through the lymph and kills it.

A mixed type of treatment is prescribed for stage 3 of the disease. This approach gives a more effective result.

Vitamin complexes and drugs that enhance immunity can be given to your cat at the first symptoms of the disease, without waiting for consultation with a specialist. This will reduce the risk of complications.

The course of treatment lasts 1-1.5 months. The prognosis for stages 1 and 2 is favorable.

How cats become infected with ear mites

The main source of ear mite infection for domestic animals is their stray brothers. To get sick, you don’t even have to have direct contact with a stray cat or dog—interacting with an object they recently scratched themselves on is enough.

The following route of spread of parasites is also likely: a sick animal walked along the ground, shaking off a tick, and a person brought it into the house on the soles of shoes, or the cat itself, if free-range is practiced, picked up the infection on its paws or fur.

In addition, fleas and flies are carriers of otodectosis.

Is it transmitted to humans?

Owners of cats are always concerned about the question of whether or not the disease otodectosis passes to the owners. On the Internet you can find information that the disease is contagious. But it has been scientifically proven that ear scabies cannot be transmitted from animals to humans. People can become infected with a variety of ear parasites, but they can only be brought from exotic countries when traveling. The only species that affects pets and humans is the scabies mite. According to the official conclusions of scientists, not a single case of transmission of an ear parasite from a cat to its owner has been recorded.

Ear mites: course of the disease

Like most diseases, otodectosis develops gradually, and in the first stages of the disease, signs of ear mites in cats can be almost invisible to the owner. Further, when ear mites in cats progress, the symptoms are very characteristic:

• the pet’s behavior becomes restless - the cat can run, meow, rub its ears on objects, scratch them persistently, sometimes even tearing blood with its claws;
• the appearance of an unpleasant odor from the cat's ears;
• discharge from the auditory openings of a dark brown liquid or a substance resembling an ointment in structure, or the appearance of scabs in the auricle;
• hearing loss in cats or the onset of complete deafness;
• increase in body temperature.

If the disease is neglected, it will spread deeper into the ear canal - into the middle and inner ear. This is followed by the final stage of the disease - inflammation affects the meninges, as a result of which the cat dies.

Symptoms of the disease

Finding out that your pet is infected is quite simple. The disease has characteristic symptoms that are not similar to other diseases. During their life, mites secrete saliva and feces, which cause severe itching and irritation on the skin.

Symptoms of otodectosis:

• 
  change in behavior: the cat shakes its head, tilts it to one side, becomes restless, meows, rubs its ears against protruding surfaces;

• the appearance of dark, foul-smelling discharge from the ear, pus;
• dark (brown) flaky crusts form inside the ears, it looks like dried blood.

The inside of a healthy animal's ear is always clean and odorless. Normally, the discharge is light yellow in color. The appearance of thick masses in the form of dirt, blood, pus is a clear sign of infection.

Ignoring treatment

If there is no treatment in the early stages of infection, the inflammation penetrates into the ear, as the animal constantly scratches it, abrasions and wounds form. Microbes enter them and a secondary infection occurs.

As a result, otitis media is diagnosed, and in advanced cases, inflammation of the meninges. In this case, the pet’s body temperature rises, it throws its head to the side, and seizures occur.

The consequences of neglected otodectosis are sad: the animal dies.

How to cure ear mites

If you suspect that your cat has ear mites, you should contact a professional who knows how to get rid of parasites as soon as possible. An experienced veterinarian will immediately recognize alarming symptoms, and the treatment that he will prescribe after identifying the disease can be carried out independently.

The main directions of therapy for otodectosis:

• manually reducing the number of mites in cat ears - regular ear cleaning and physical removal of parasites with their further destruction;
• the use of external medications for “chemical warfare” against ear mites: instilling, pouring or spraying these drugs into the cat’s ears;
• elimination of the inflammatory process by exposure to drugs from a number of antibiotics - if the disease has gone that far.

Treatment at home is not particularly difficult, but you will have to pay a lot of attention and effort to it: it is known how cats “love” to be treated, and yet the procedures must be performed regularly and for quite a long time.
To carry them out, the animal will most likely have to be swaddled - so that the “straitjacket” does not interfere with the cat’s breathing, but does not allow it to swing its paws. First of all, your pet’s ears will need to be thoroughly cleaned, removing waste products from mites and the parasites themselves. This is done with a cotton swab soaked in an antiseptic solution such as chlorhexidine or miramistin. It is acceptable, but not advisable, to use ordinary warm water instead.

Next, a remedy for ear mites in cats is injected directly into the ear. These can be ear mite drops for cats - such as Aurican or Amatrizine, or aerosols - Akrodex, Dermatosol, Tsiodrin, etc., or ointment - for example, Amidel-gel. All these medicines are affordable, and it is not difficult to purchase them in pharmacies or directly from the veterinarian to whom you came with a question on how to cure your pet.

After administering anti-tick medication for cats, you need to hold the animal on your lap, gently massaging its ears. At the end of the procedure, almond or camphor oil is instilled into the ears.

For kittens and pregnant cats, there are contraindications to the use of most common drugs for otodectosis. In these cases, you will need to specifically check with your doctor for recommendations on how to treat your pet.

Regardless of the chosen means, treatment will need to be carried out in three courses with an interval of five to six days - in accordance with the characteristics of the parasite’s life cycle. And do not forget that it is strictly forbidden to use alcohol-based products to treat ear mites in a cat.

If the cat is in serious condition and the veterinarian has determined extensive inflammation, the animal will need antibiotics - the medicine will have to be administered by subcutaneous injection. Giving cats injections is not particularly difficult, it is quite possible to do it at home yourself, just ask the doctor to show you everything and explain it clearly.

Diagnostics

The first suspicions may arise from an observant owner. It is enough to carefully monitor your pet’s behavior and examine its ears. Itching, scratching the ears with paws, and the presence of brown plaque inside the ear canals indicate infection.

Examination by a veterinarian

Before going to the veterinary clinic, the cat’s ears are not cleaned. The accumulated contents will be needed for analysis.

In a clinical setting, the doctor examines the affected area with an otoscope. The instrument allows you to assess the condition of the inner and middle ear, eardrum. Ear discharge is taken for examination under a microscope, after which an accurate diagnosis is made.

Are ear mites dangerous for humans?

For humans, ear mites, fortunately, do not pose a danger, so if a pet has picked it up somewhere, there is no need to worry that it will infect its owners and their children.
But other pets - cats and dogs, as well as ferrets - will be under a real threat of further spread of the parasite, therefore, so that a single case of ear mite disease does not develop into an epidemic within a separate apartment, for the entire duration of treatment you should follow the rule: isolate the sick animal from healthy, and also keep them away from his bedding and toys. In addition, it is strongly recommended that all pets be checked by a veterinarian to see if tick infestation is already an established fact. If the infection has spread, the animals should be treated at the same time. If the infected cat is a nursing mother, the kitten may also have parasites - you will need to show it to a doctor and decide whether it should be taken away from its mother and, if so, how to provide it with nutrition.

How to treat and prevent

Treatment involves eliminating the cause of the disease, as well as relieving unpleasant symptoms and preventing complications.

1. Acaricidal ointments are used to destroy pathogens, relieve inflammation and swelling. One of the most effective drugs is Akarobor. The product effectively reduces the number of pathogens, relieves inflammation and has an analgesic effect.
2. Gel preparations Amidel-gel and Ivermek-gel are aimed at combating both larvae and adult ticks. The main mechanism of action is the formation of paralysis and subsequent death of the pathogen.
3. Oridermil ear drops and its analogues get rid of the pathogen and have an anti-inflammatory effect.
4. Preparations applied to the withers - Frontline. A drop of the drug is applied to the area between the shoulder blades. Thanks to rapid absorption, the acaricidal agent quickly enters the bloodstream.
5. Sometimes parenteral administration of acaricides by injection is prescribed.

To prevent otodectosis in your pet, you should adhere to the following prevention methods:

• regularly examine the condition of the auricle;
• carry out sanitation of the ear canal once a month using special means;
• provide your cat with a healthy diet;
• exclude contact of the pet with an infected animal.

1111

Why is otodectosis dangerous?

In most cases, two ears are affected at once. The possibility of infection increases during warm and humid periods of the year. Small kittens and weak pets are at risk. Interestingly, it can take a year from the moment of infection to the appearance of the first signs. The disease will become noticeable when a bacterial infection is attached to it. The furry friend will constantly experience discomfort, will not eat, sleep, and will start shaking his head.

The ear will scratch due to unbearable itching. This damages the capillaries and leads to the appearance of large hematomas. In the area where the skin has been damaged, infection in the form of bacteria or fungi penetrates. The inflammatory process starts, tissue swelling, redness, and pus appear.

If the inflammation is not stopped, it will spread to the eardrum, and this can lead to weakening or loss of hearing. At this time, your furry friend will behave irritably, nervously, even aggressively. Over time, inflammation can reach the head. The prognosis in these cases will be disappointing - the pet may die from the tumor.

It is important to avoid complications. If you notice deviations similar to the symptoms of otodectosis, contact a professional doctor immediately.

Comments

I bought a British cat. At home we noticed that the kitten began to constantly scratch his left ear. It got to the point where he started scratching until it bled. A veterinarian was called to the house. The veterinarian gave me a tick injection, and two weeks later I got a second one. A brown, viscous liquid began to come out of the kitten's ear. I constantly cleaned my ear with a sponge. Now we constantly use special oil and drip it into our ears. It is not recommended to use frequent injections against ticks, as this will cause damage to the animal’s liver.

My cat once had ear mites. He really scratched his ears until they bled, and the inner surface of his ears was black in tiny dots. I immediately took the cat to the veterinarian, they prescribed drops against ticks, which stung a lot, and emollients. I had to drip for two weeks and also clean my ears. He also ran away and hid from treatment. But they cured him. Domestic cat, apparently picked up a tick on a shoe. It's good that it worked out.

I take my cat to the vet about once every year or a year and a half, if there is nothing bothering me, for preventative purposes, just in case. I have never had a tick, although I don’t take any emergency measures, the only thing is that I don’t have contact with stray animals, I don’t hide or treat shoes and street things in general. Could it be that there are ticks but they don’t bother the cat? Blackness in the ears has appeared for about a month, the cat behaves as always.

We adopted a cat from the shelter already infected with otodecosis. Having never had anything to do with this, we ourselves treated her for this ear mite. The symptoms were really obvious. Unpleasant smell, often scratched ears with paws, bald patches appeared

In addition, because the shelter did not pay attention to her illness, she developed a complication in the form of purulent otitis media. It was then that I learned for the first time that cats, like people, can have a very high temperature, it was literally burning

We quickly decided to inject her with an antibiotic. Thanks to this, she remained alive and now delights us with herself and her games.