[sentimentalgirl]

I just noticed that Dunga had some kind of black "dirt" in her ear. I don't know if it's dirt or ear mites. I will try to clean her ear shortly.

How do ear mites look like?

 

[ospunkyo]

I don't believe that you can actually see ear mites. I think the "dirt" we see in their ears is from the mites stimulating the wax-producing glands inside the ear, and then the mites all hang out in the ear wax and have a little party.

You can clean their ears safely using a bit of cotton ball dipped in mineral oil.

A vet could tell you for certain if it's ear mites, but if you are also noticing that she's holding her head at a weird angle with her ear crooked, shaking her head, or itching at her ears...it's a good bet that she has them.

Ear mites are contageous, so watch Yoda and little Maugli's ears too.

 

[sentimentalgirl]

Thanks ospunkyo!

We just cleaned her ear - she acted like we were torturing her!

We noticed that she has the ear injured (not too deep in the ear) and basically the dirt was dried blood. I didn't touch it much at the place where she has the "blood cover" because it would maybe hurt her. I just cleaned it all around the place.

I don't know how she got this but I"m asuming that Maugli bit her. Is that possible? Maugli is too young to know how much she can bite.

At least it's not ear mites. I will be keeping my eye on her. I"m sure it will heal fast.

Also, we tried to clean Yoda's ears - she had little bit of dirt (very little). She didn't like it at all and almost attacked (-scratched) my hubby. Is it normal that she gets aggressive like this? She also almost "attacted" my girlfriend - she was holding her and Yoda wanted to leave. She is very shy cat and for some reason - she gets scared fast and if she doesn't like something she can get agressive. I know, this doesn't belong to this thread but I thought I would ask.....

 

[brite]

Yeah kitties don't like having their ears touched... I was somewhat lucky b/c Tyra had ear mites when we got her, so I've been cleaning both her and Tyson's ears since they've been with me. They're not super aggressive about getting away, but still put up somewhat of a fight... but I think they're kinda used to it by now.

It's best if you get an extra pair of hands to help you hold them still... by the scruff would help to stabilize their head while you clean their ears.

Good luck!

 

[ospunkyo]

It took two people to hold Pfeffa to clean her ears and put in the drops for her ear mites. I try now to regularly touch her ears and look inside, just to keep her used to it.

If Dunga was bitten by one of the other cats, keep a very close eye on that area because an abcess can form from a bite or scratch. Although...can a abcess form in an ear??

 

[sentimentalgirl]

I think it's a scratch.

I will try to touch their ears more often to get them used. I didn't know they would hate it so much to have them cleaned!

 

[sentimentalgirl]

I noticed she has those black "spots" in both ears. And Maugli has some too. Do you think they are mites? I"m not sure what I should do now. Will I have to take them both to vet? Or can I take just one of them?

Should I clean their ears?

If these are mites..why do them have them? What is the reason they appear?

 

[ospunkyo]

The scratch you saw may have been caused by Dunga herself, if she has been itching in her ears, as the irritation and itch is really intense for them.

If one of them does have ear mites, you most likely will need to treat all of them (it's contageous) but I'm not sure if you would need to bring them all in to the vet. I'd call, explain the situation, and see what your vet suggests. When Pfeffa had them, I only brought her in, but came home with medicine for Norville as well, even though his ears looked okay.

Ear mites are very common in cats, and are spread by contact with an infected cat. I *think* a cat can have ear mites for a while, and it won't be noticeable. It's just a guess on my part, but knowing Maugli was recently brought in to your home, she could have been the carrier, and then the mites spread to the other kitties.

 

[sentimentalgirl]

Thank you so much. You are probably right about the Dunga's scratch. Dunga has her ears the worst - from all of them. My hubby will be going with Maugli for some shots so he can ask the vet what to do.

Is there a way how to prevent them? Can they come back later on or once you heal them they will never appear again?

 

[ospunkyo]

Poor Dunga's ears! You've probably eased some of the irritation by cleaning out her ears a bit.

Sometimes the wax build up is very bad, and deep in the ear canal, and the cat will need to have it's ears cleaned out by the vet (that's what happened with Pfeffa), but it sounds like you caught it early!

I'm not sure if there is a specific way to prevent them - certainly keeping them indoors and from exposure to other cats will help.

I've had cats for over 8 years, and Pfeffa was the only one to ever get ear mites, and it was only that one time. I'm not even sure where SHE got them, since my cats are indoors only, but strays would occasionally visit us on our porch, and it was most likely from that.

 

[sentimentalgirl]

Poor Dunga's ears! You've probably eased some of the irritation by cleaning out her ears a bit.

Sometimes the wax build up is very bad, and deep in the ear canal, and the cat will need to have it's ears cleaned out by the vet (that's what happened with Pfeffa), but it sounds like you caught it early!

I'm not sure if there is a specific way to prevent them - certainly keeping them indoors and from exposure to other cats will help.

I've had cats for over 8 years, and Pfeffa was the only one to ever get ear mites, and it was only that one time. I'm not even sure where SHE got them, since my cats are indoors only, but strays would occasionally visit us on our porch, and it was most likely from that.

I know! I feel so sorry for her. On the other hand, I know that she is very strong cat and can handle a lot!

Our cats are indoor only.... Who knows how they got them? Well, I'm not even sure if those are mites but I think so. I read on one web site that they look like "coffee grains" and that's exactly how Dunga's ears look - full of black dots. So, I"m positive that these are the mites. We will see what the vet says. I hope Dunga will be fine...my little baby....