Ear Mites In Cats

Of course you will not be able to see them properly with the naked eye but you should be able to see them under a microscope.

Ear mites in cats. They like to live in the warm dark environment of the ear canal where they feed on skin debris. Ear mites are microscopic parasites which infect the ears of a cat. If you look inside the ear by gently folding back the ear flap you can spot tiny white specks amongst the reddish brown debris. Those tiny white specks are in fact the adult ear mites present in the ear.

Ear mite infestations usually itch so cats with ear mites will scratch excessively at the backs or insides of their ears sometimes to the point of producing raw patches shake their heads or hold their ears at an odd angle. These mites create irritation and itchiness which cause the cat to scratch its ears. Several ear mite medicines and websites also refer to it as otodectic mange. Ear mites are a common infestation and are easily spread between cats and other animals.

Ear mites think other species are tasty too and they are very contagious. What are the symptoms of ear mites in cats. Cats can catch ear mites from being outdoors or from interacting with other cats. Some cats will shake their heads so much that an hematoma of the ear will form with blood pooling in the ear due to breakage of a blood vessel.

They also like to live in warm dark environment of the ear canal where they then feed on the skin debris. These parasites feed on the debris inside of the ear. Though there are several different types of ear mites that can affect cats the most common one is otodectes cynotis which essentially resembles an eight legged crab. Ear mites will lay eggs in the ear canal which have a gestation period of roughly two to three weeks.

The most common ear mite of cats is otodectes cynotis and therefore an infestation with ear mites is sometimes called otodectic mange 1 ear mites primarily live in the ear canal where they feed on skin debris. Cats that are afflicted with ear mites will typically scratch at the ears excessively and shake their heads even pulling out their own hair and drawing blood as they scratch. The most frequent ear mite infestation in cats is otodectes cynotis. Ear mites are barely visible to the naked eye yet you can spot them inside your cat s ears with the assistance of a magnifying lens.

They are most common in kittens younger cats strays and outdoor cats though any cat can catch ear mites. Ear mites or otodectes cynotis are microscopic parasites which can infect the ears of a cat. Their presence causes inflammation and can also lead to secondary ear infections. Although ear mites don t seem dangerous their presence can be extremely harmful to your cat.