I have a 2 years old Persian who is suffering with black gunk in his ears. I have no clue what this nastiness is, but it is becoming very aggrivating to him and I think it is impairing his hearing. Out of nowhere he will jerk up to scratch and a when he shakes his head black crumbles come out. I have gently tried to get some out with a Q-tip, but he acts as if it is excrutiating and it is stuck like a scab would be. What is this and how do I cure it?
2007-03-29 05:47:01 · 10 answers · asked by barefootbabee 1 in Pets ➔ Cats
I checked my other cat's ears and they are fine. My Persian, Zeus, does not constantly do this shaking by any means. I had a dog that had mites once and he would not stop scratching or shaking. Couldn't this possibly be a yeast infection?
2007-03-29 06:23:16 · update #1
This sounds like ear mites, but could also be a yeast or bacterial infection. The only way to be sure is to get him into the vet so they can look at it under a microscope.
You can clean his ears out with a little bit of mineral oil and a cotton ball. Just soak the cotton ball and stick it down into his ear. Massage the base of the ear for a minute or two, then pull out the cotton ball. This will clean some of the gunk out of his ear and make him a little more comfortable for the time being. However this WILL NOT kill the mites, or clear up an infection. An antibiotic will need to be given in the case of a yeast or bacterial infection.
While they do sell ear mite treatments in pet stores such as PetSmart, they won't work. They are geared more toward prevention of ear mites, but won't take care of the pre-existing infestation. You can use something like Revolution to treat him for the mites, but this is a prescription. Your vet may be willing to prescribe Revolution over the phone, or if you just go in to the office, without having to pay for the office call. It's a great product as it treats and prevents fleas, ear mites, round worms, hook worms and heart worm, and it is an easy monthly spot-on application.
If you want more information about Revolution:
http://www.revolution4cats.com/
(I don't mean to push a particular product, it's just the only one I can think of that is effective with ear mites that is very easy to use.)
Mita Clear is a non-prescription product that is available OTC but this is a cream that is squirted in the ear canal and you would need to clean his ear out with cotton swabs and repeat every 7 days until the problem has cleared up. I won't testify to this product being very efficient. The only place I have used it was in a shelter and those cats always seemed to have a reoccuring problem.
Anyway, good luck! And get those ears taken care of as they can cause further infections and possible hearing loss.
2007-03-29 06:32:29 · answer #1 · answered by Kristen J 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ear mites. Take your cat to the vet. You'll get medication to put in the cats ears after the ears are cleaned. The vet will show you the proper way to clean the ears and can give you a solution to help you. Ear mites are very common and sometimes you don't know where they come from. It may take several treatments, but kitty will get better.
If you have other cats, check them for mites, too. The "gunk" and the scratching are common with ear mites.
2007-03-29 06:12:44 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Could also be a nasty ear infection. Get your cat to a vet ASAP. You will have to clean your kitties ears every other day with an ear wax removal aid and then add antibiotic drops on the odd days.
One of my rescues had the same problem. It has been 6 months and I still have to treat at least once a month...but no more antibiotics yet. He has a bad ear wax problem still.
If it were just mites, the other kitties would have mites.
2007-03-29 07:01:27 · answer #3 · answered by Only Hams R Cured 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Take your cat to the vet for an exam. The vet will take a sample of the gunk and examine it to determine if your cat is suffering from ear mites, a yeast infection, or a bacterial infection. The treatment for each of those problems is different, so you'll need to get your cat examined to find out which problem it is and get it treated.
2007-03-29 06:22:40 · answer #4 · answered by Bess2002 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your poor kitty definately has ear mites! Get that cat to a vet! Ear mites can be a very miserable thing for the poor cat! I have never heard of a yeast infection in a cats ears!
2007-03-29 09:26:46 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes *sigh* a vet can tell you.
Sounds like ear mites as everyone's said, and they will need to be cleaned before applying eardrops, possibly under sedation if they are that painful.
Don't bother with petshop products - you'll just end up needing to go to the vet anyway, so you might as well save time and money and just get to the vet.
Chalice
2007-03-29 06:12:42 · answer #6 · answered by Chalice 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it could be ear mites. you can get some stuff from walmart or a local pet store. also clean their ears out with a q-tip occasionally. the stuff you get for them is just drops so it's easy enough to treat. also if you have other cats make sure you check them and if you see any black at all then use the drops on them too. what could it hurt?
2007-03-29 07:31:05 · answer #7 · answered by jmariec 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
could be ear mites or an ear infection get a vet to check it out.
2007-03-29 07:27:42 · answer #8 · answered by catloverme123 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ear mites. Get him to a vet for treatment.
2007-03-29 06:08:52 · answer #9 · answered by KathyS 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sounds like ear mites. You can get meds at a pet store and if those don't work take it to the vet who can give you a stronger dosage.
2007-03-29 05:56:50 · answer #10 · answered by dee 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋