How to Deal with Cat Ear Mites

As pet owners, a lot of responsibility is placed on our shoulders. We have to pay close attention to what our pet eats, whether it is eating too much or too little, how many times we shower them per month, and if they need to be groomed or have its hair cut. We also have to share some time with them, since depending on the pet, they might need certain levels of attention.

With that said, if we truly love our pets, taking care of them is not an obligation but a pleasure. Pets can be things that cheer our lives in ways that we can’t even begin to imagine, even more, if you are like me, someone who’s somewhat lonely and enjoy having some alone time.

Dogs can be playful and lovely, a parrot can sing and talk with you, a hamster can be pretty fun and chill take to take care of, and cats are what I would describe as independent creatures. Don’t get me wrong, I have two cats in my home, and they definitely added some color to my life.

Dawn, my young black cat, is pretty playful and enjoys spending time with me. Dusk, on the other hand, is somewhat grumpy and only comes to me whenever he feels like it. I try to take care of them as much as I can, and although I feel like I’ve done a pretty good job so far, suddenly, I encountered myself with a problem: Ear mites.

Mites are closely related to ticks, and believe it or not, are a distant family of scorpions and spiders. Ear mites, though, are mostly found in cats, since this specific species is 90% of the time found in feline ears. And believe me when I say this: they can drive your kittens crazy!

As mentioned in this article, the most common symptom caused by these little creatures is an infection that leads to an intense feeling of itchiness and irritation in the ear. This, as a result, makes your cats scratch themselves, usually self-injuring the area.

The worst about them is that they can spread incredibly fast and with ease, having a somewhat low chance of affecting humans as well.

Thankfully, there are a lot of methods to deal with them, and as I researched them online, I not only applied what seemed the most effective (The method I’m sharing in this article) but also found strategies that would help me prevent them from threatening my cats again!

The Treatment

The Treatment

It may not surprise you, but the best way to deal with this problem, as many people recommended in several articles and forums online, is to take your cats to the vet and let an expert diagnose them. There’s a high chance that a vet will recommend the most effective and viable alternative to your cats. In my case, I used an ointment that took a couple of days to get rid of the problem!

Of course, I understand that not everyone is capable of taking their cats to the vet. That’s why you can also research online for some of the over-the-counter medicines you can buy that might be effective to deal with the problem. You can find some of them, and they may cheaper and as effective! 

In case buying an over-the-counter medicine is not an option for you, there are other things you might want to try. This blog link, for example, contains useful information for those who would like to try homemade remedies for ear mites. 

The best recommendation ever is to clean your house and whatever your cat enters in contact with to make sure that the pest doesn’t come back after treating your cats since they are pretty much like a plague who can be unbeatable if you aren’t careful!

What you should avoid these little creatures is know where your cats are going, and what may have caused the infestation in the firaqst places. 

If your cats are like mine and tend to go outside the house, you’ll have to start looking for a culprit, like a certain place they usually go to or a friend they tend to visit.

In my case, I had to clean all my backyard, which is where they usually go when they want to go outside. I also started to clean their ears at least once a week, and bathe them as well. You can get more information about prevention methods here: https://www.thesprucepets.com/about-ear-mites-dogs-and-cats-3384667#:~:text=If%20you%20see%20your%20dog,life%20miserable%20for%20your%20pet.