Ask the Veterinarian/ear mites

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Expert: - 11/7/2010


Question
I have two cats. One cat is almost 3 years old and the other is maybe 3 or 4 months; he was a stray and he has all the symptoms of ear mites and there is visible gunk which looks like coffee grinds, my other cat Button does not show any "in the ear" visible signs only his scratching of his ear, shakes his head, and his ear bends down on occasion.I have been treating them both for ear mites. I have noticed the inside of Button's ear which I remember had all gray skin tone now  has some discoloration such as white patches. Should I be worried about this discoloration? Also, do I need to wash all of our bedding and anything else our pets have come into contact with? Last but not least... can humans get ear mites from cats????

Answer
No, humans cannot get ear mites from cats, but they sure can get it from each other. Whatever you are using doesn't seem to be working very well. You need to get some ear mite medicine from the vets or get them injected at the vets with some ivermectin. It has to be done there or you can kill them if they get too much.


Flea control on the cat itself also helps kill the population because the mites will crawl into the fur sometimes.
I am not sure what this coloration would be from but it could be the medication is changing the color.

The things the cats sleep on should be washed in hot water to kill off any eggs and mites. But most importantly, get these two to your vet and get some good treatment medication.

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Jana Connell RVT, CVT

Expertise

PLEASE READ BEFORE SUBMITTING TO ME: I am NOT a vet and do NOT diagnose diseases. That is only for a licensed Veterinarian to do. I will give you suggestions and steer you toward calling your vet for help. You can call the vet's office and talk to the technician there or the vet at times. Don't be afraid to call them! If you have a serious issue with your pet please post it to one of the veterinarians in here- I will tell you the same thing in my answer. IF your pet is injured or in an emergency situation, CALL YOUR VET- Do not wait and post in here. Just call the vet's office and get them in to see the vet right away. Critical treatment time is lost if you seek answers here when you should have your precious pet at the vets!! Don't sit at home waiting for an answer when your pet is critically ill or injured!! I can answer most questions about small animal and wildlife care as well as small animal nutrition. I can also answer questions about all phases of dental care for small animals. I DO NOT answer questions about birds (unless it is wildlife or songbirds) or HAMSTERS/GERBILS/CHINS/GUINEA PIGS/REPTILES/FROGS/RABBITS/PET BIRDS OF ANY KIND so please submit these questions to the appropriate sections. I, as well as other experts in here, do NOT do homework questions- that is for YOU to do! Please respect these rules for all of us. Thanks!

Experience

I have over 35 years experience in the field of veterinary medicine. I specialized in small animals and did wildlife rehab for over 25 years, mostly raptors, squirrels and opossums. I am a Small Animal Nutritional Consultant with 6 certificates from Hills Pet Foods, CNM and Purina. I also specialized in Small Animal Dentistry which is a field I truly love.

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Audubon,World Wildlife Federation, American Society of Veterinary Dental Technicians.

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Licensed with California and Oregon, RVT and CVT. Certified Veterinary Dental Technician Have over 500 logged hours of Continuing Education Credits(that means I keep up to date!).

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Nominated for Expert of the Month for the last 5 years.

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