is there a natural way to get rid of earmites in cats?

Question

all my cats are indoor cats...we have a new one that i rescued from some blackberry bushes. my mom just found out he has mites though, but he has been kept inside since the rescue

Answer 1

Yes. Keep them inside. That's the only natural way to keep them away permanently.

Oh, and the cat will need medication to get rid of the ones it already has. A vet visit is necessary.

Answer 2

In my book "The Veterinarians' Guide to Natural Remedies for Cats" there is an outline for getting rid of earmites in cats. It can take over six weeks before they are gone and treatment may have to be repeated even then.

The earmites can travel to your other cats so I think it best that you take the cat to a vet and get a treatment or an invermectin shot which will take care of the problem right away. I don't believe in poking around in my own ears and I don't think you should do that to the cat. You can just force the mites further down into the ear canal and end up with a serious infection there.

Answer 3

Here is a home reedy that you can try: (1) Clean the cat's ears out. The first step toward clearing up an ear mite infestation is to get as many tiny critters (and their belongings) out of the ear canal as possible. Put several drops of mineral oil into the ear canal and massage gently. If the debris is particularly hard and crusty, you may have to let the oil work in for a few hours to soften things up. The massaging will help bring debris up to the outer part of the ear where it can be wiped away with a COTTON BALL or tissue. (Do not use cotton swabs, even though you may have seen your vet clean a cat's ears that way -- one slip could puncture an eardrum.) If you want to do a thorough cleaning job (and you're courageous enough), you can use lukewarm distilled water in an ear syringe to gently flush out the canal. Repeat the cleaning procedure until the debris is gone. (2) Hit the mites while they're down. While the mineral oil immobilizes any mites left behind, it won't kill them all. To do that, you need insecticide eardrops. Reliable products that contain pyrethrins (a natural insecticide found in flowers of the mum family) are widely available at pet supply stores. Follow directions carefully, making sure to massage the drops in well and wipe away any excess. (3) Where mites might be. By the time you notice your cat has ear mites, there are literally thousands of the itty-bitty things around. Smaller than the period at the end of this sentence, a single ear mite can crawl out of your cat's ear canal and hide out deep in her fur -- only to crawl back in after all the excitement of treatment is over and repopulate the colony. Therefore, cats with ear mites need regular treatment with flea products to knock out those adventurous mites that go exploring elsewhere on the cat's body. If your best home remedies don't knock out ear mites within a month, or the skin in or around the ear becomes raw or inflamed, you need professional help. Likewise, if your cat has itchy ears, shakes her head, flattens her ears, and has discharge from the ear canal -- but no mite debris or there are no live mites to be found -- check with your vet. It could be a yeast or bacterial infection or another type of ear problem

Answer 4

My one indoor all white cat seems to have a chronic problem with ear mites. he has had his ears flushed out and I gave him the vet drops, clean his ears and also gave him Ivermectin. He still seems to have trouble and I have actually heard that white cats are more prone to mites for some reason. Not sure why?. I am currently trying Wesson Corn oil. Just like the others said, it will smother the mites and also soothe the inside of the ear. I can't hurt him. I know of Doctors who actually say that humans can put cooking oil in their ears to sooth ear aches. Good Luck....I've been there. You can also buy Revolution. It is sold by vets and it kills fleas and the mites. about 10 bucks or less per dose for a cat that is 5.1 - 15 pounds. Treat every 30 days. It comes in a tube and you place it at the base of the neck so the cat can't lick it off. I personally am trying out the corn oil for a while. I think it is helping.

Answer 5

I have used heavy olive oil. Just take a warm damp wash cloth, wipe the cats ears out. On a clean part of the cloth put olive oil on it and wipe the inside of the ears out. I don't think that using the oil as drops would be a bad idea either. The oil will suffocate the ear mites and the cleaning and wiping the ear mite droppings out of the ears is more sanitary for the cat. Hope this helps!

Answer 6

The vets have a one treatment medication for earmites now. Saves the hassle of doing it daily on a cat that probably doesn't want you messing with its ears. It kills mites and eggs. You will probably want to think about spaying or neutering now too.

Answer 7

Not really, you need to take kitty to the vet to have her ears deep cleaned, kitty will suffer a lot but the vet will give you medicine to get rid of them for good. The earmite lives in the cat's ear canal which only a vet can clean after that he will give you medicine to fight the infection and keep earmites away.

Answer 8

I rescued my cat from alabama and he had ear mites all I did was clean his ears once a week with Q-Tips and perxiode...works great and if you start when they are young they don't mind you cleaning their ears when they get older!! Good Luck

Answer 9

I would recommend a vet visit for the ear mite kitty. Make sure you check your other cats as well.

Answer 10

Start out by cleansing the ears with a cotton ball with a lil Hydrogen Peroxide. Seeing a Vet is most important now it could harm your pet in the future.

To read the exact natural use see this site: http://books.google.com/books?id=kp5XDbI64wwC&pg=PA190&ots=9dJD4jaIlx&dq=Free+natural+cure+for+ear+mites+in+cats&sig=55M-oeG8rmDa3QSG5mHXheyBwU0#PPA191,M1