Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 9/2/2009

Question
I noticed my cat, Marco (male, aprox 5 years old) had signs of ear mites. I purchased miticide and applied it in his ears. Its been several hours since the application and he seems to be dizzy, and maybe nauseated. He also has a severe case of malaise now. Is this a common reaction to miticide? Is it possible that by administering the drops it caused an inner ear imbalance?

Answer
Did you actually see mites before you put in the miticide?  Older cats with ear problems usually have a middle ear problem where there is  hole in the eardrum.  That's what causes the ear discharge. If any of the ear mite medicine got into the middle ear and the inner ear, there will be a severe toxic reaction.