Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 10/28/2008

Question
My 7 yr old indoor only Manx/Siamese mix cat has severe ear mites(or at least I think they're mites) to the point she has pain. I have fought ear mites with her since she was a kitten and I am usually able to get rid of them. She shakes her head constantly so she's not sleeping well. She's scratching insanely. The upper part of her ear has now started to bleed when I clean them, and she cries in pain. I have tried  mineral oil, baby oil, witch hazel, put frontline drops on her body and a drop in each ear, my vet has given us Otomite Plus that I used twice a week for 2 weeks. Nothing seems to be working. I started her today on Amoxicillin that I had left over from an infection she had before, and am cleaning her ears with a vinegar/water solution.  have 2 other cats in my home and they don't have this problem, I treated theirs once and the mites are gone. My cats never go outside. I'm open to any suggestions at this point. Thank you for your time

Answer
With all that you have done, I would guess that it is NOT ear mites, especially since the other cats do not have them.  You need to get the cat to a vet who can sedate her and do a good ear cleaning.  Cats get ruptured eardrums and middle ear disease as well as a growth in their deep ear canal called a polyp. Something like that is going on and that's where the problem lies.