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Ear Mites in Cats
Ear mites
Ear mites
Frontline and ear mites
Ear Mites - control with flea products
Ear mites in multiple cat household
Ear mitesalso see cat ears
also see Cat parasites
Ear mites, (Otodectes cynotis) is the most common ear mite of cats. It usually lives in the ears and on the head of affected cats but it can sometimes live on the body of the cat. It is contagious and often affects most of the cats in a household. The presence of the mites can cause severe inflammation in affected cat's ears.
Ear mites are not the only cause of ear disease in cats. Cats should be examined to determine if ear mites are present prior to treatment. Whenever treatment for this condition is not working well other causes of ear disease should be considered.
In the past it was felt that ear mites did not live well off cats but they may be better at surviving in the environment than we thought. In order to eliminate ear mites it is important to treat your cat's ears, the haircoat and the cat's environment for the mites. There are a number of approved medications for ear mites. Flea control products that kill adult fleas will kill mites. These may be used to treat the haircoat and the house, according to the product directions. In particularly stubborn cases, the use of ivermectin, an experimental drug in cats, may be justified.
Mike Richards, DVM
My cat has ear's mites what medicine should i give him? thanx a lot - Thanx For the info I live in Ca and I am very good at math and science Thanx again Signed---James
A: James- If you are guessing that your cat has ear mites the best approach would be to have your vet examine your cat's ears. There are a lot of ear infections in cats that are not due to ear mites. When mites are present, there are a number of effective medications. It is important to treat your cat with a flea product at the same time as the ear mite medication since ear mites can sometimes live on the body and the flea control medication will kill them, too. We like to use fipronil (TopSpot Rx) in conjunction with ear mite medicine since it is convenient.
Let your vet take a look at your cat's ears to make sure the infection is due to mites.
Mike Richards, DVM
Q: Dear DR. Mike: Thanks for your time. Would Frontline Topspot protect a cat from earmite infection to any degree? Or does 'flea control product" you refer to in your info on ear mites mean flea spray or shampoo only? We rescued several feral kittens and are treating them for mites correctly, but we are becoming pretty paranoid about infecting our older cats. So far they have had no actual contact. They are in separate rooms- we wash our hands and avoid hugging or holding and such without changing clothes. . I think since we use Topspot we cannot spray them with flea spray. Is there anything else we can do as prevention?
Susan and David
A: The anecdotal evidence (what vets say at meetings to each other based on their clinical experiences rather than research) suggests that fipronil (Frontline Topspot tm) will eliminate ear mites. We have tried this on a pretty large group of cats recently so I am eagerly awaiting one of them coming for a follow-up exam --- but haven't seen them yet.
Ear mites can live outside the ears so one of the causes of chronic ear mite infections is treating only the ears. When ear mites are outside of the ears almost any flea control product will kill them. Prior to the new once a month topicals this usually meant spraying or bathing a cat and many times owners were reluctant to do that.
It shouldn't be necessary to use another flea control product while using Frontline.
Mike Richards, DVM
Earmites - control with flea products
Q: Dear DR. Mike: Thanks for your time. Would Frontline Topspot protect a cat from earmite infection to any degree? Or does 'flea control product" you refer to in your info on ear mites mean flea spray or shampoo only? We rescued several feral kittens and are treating them for mites correctly, but we are becoming pretty paranoid about infecting our older cats. So far they have had no actual contact. They are in separate rooms- we wash our hands and avoid hugging or holding and such without changing clothes. . I think since we use Topspot we cannot spray them with flea spray. Is there anything else we can do as prevention? Susan and David
A: Susan and David- The anecdotal evidence (what vets say at meetings to each other based on their clinical experiences rather than research) suggests that fipronil (Frontline Topspot tm) will eliminate ear mites. We have tried this on a pretty large group of cats recently so I am eagerly awaiting one of them coming for a follow-up exam --- but haven't seen them yet.
Ear mites can live outside the ears so one of the causes of chronic ear mite infections is treating only the ears. When ear mites are outside of the ears almost any flea control product will kill them. Prior to the new once a month topicals this usually meant spraying or bathing a cat and many times owners were reluctant to do that.
It shouldn't be necessary to use another flea control product while using Frontline.
Michael Richards, DVM
Ear Mites in a multiple cat home
Q: I have four cats, three of which seem to be prone to ear mites. I have poured gallons of medication into their collective ear canals but the problem persists. The medications my vet prescribes call for treating the cats' ears twice a day for two weeks. Aggghhhh!!! Are there any other treatments that can be applied less often? Are there any home or over the counter remedies that would be effective in keeping these critters at bay on a routine basis? I can probably line them all up ever other day or so for a cleaning, but treating six ears twice a day is a bit much for me to handle by myself! Thank you very much!
A: In group situations I think that the best treatment for ear mites in cats is almost certainly ivermectin. This medication is only approved for cats in the form of the heartworm preventative Heartgard (Rx) but it appears to be reasonably safe and very effective against ear mites. I have seen several recommended treatment schedules but we usually use it once a month in all the cats for several months. We have used it topically by putting a few drops in the ears and injectably, with pretty much equal success. Clients obviously do better most of the time when it is used as a drop.
Ask your vet about this. Some vets are understandably anxious about using a medication in an "off label" manner since it increases liability. Still, in a situation in which approved medications have failed on repeated attempts it is justified to look for alternatives, I think.
Michael Richards, DVM
Q: I have a question? My question is that I'm babysitting 2 cats that has ear mites. Will it affect my animals ( 2 dogs,1cat,1rabbit)??? Please respond ASAP Thanks,
A: If you are babysitting these cats at your home it is possible for your pets to be infected with the ear mites -- at least the cat and dogs. Rabbits have a different ear mite and the rabbit should not be affected.
If you are babysitting these cats at the owner's home it is unlikely that the mites would be transferred by you to your pets.
If your pets show any signs of ear mite infection such as head shaking or scratching or rubbing their ears, it would be a good idea to have your vet confirm the presence of ear mites and to treat them if necessary.
Michael Richards, DVM
Push this button to see a ear mite up close and personal
Last edited 01/30/05
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