What Causes Ear Mites In Cats

What are the symptoms of ear mites in cats.

What causes ear mites in cats. Complications may arise when an animal has an immune hypersensitivity reaction that results in intense irritation of the external ear. When diagnosing a cat with ear mites a veterinarian will first ask for a medical history. Cats can catch ear mites from being outdoors or from interacting with other cats. Although ear mites don t seem dangerous their presence can be extremely harmful to your cat.

Whether your cats are always indoor cats or outdoor you might also notice head shaking or even an excessive ear scratching. They are most common in kittens younger cats strays and outdoor cats though any cat can catch ear mites. Ear inflammation and debris infected ears tend to be red from the scratching and the body s natural inflammatory response to the mites. Certain forms of bacterial infections can easily be mistaken for ear mites by the untrained eye and the treatments are very different.

This will help determine if the symptoms could be caused by some sort of hereditary ear disorder. Although might can be brought about by more than a single problem ear mites are a very common culprit. Otodectes infect dogs cats foxes and ferrets. They get inside your cat s ear canal where they feed on the ear wax and skin debris.

Ear mites or otodectes cynotis are microscopic parasites which can infect the ears of a cat. The two species of mites that cause ear infections are otodectes and notoedres. Many cat owners overlook the other common cause of ear inflammation in cats. They like to live in the warm dark environment of the ear canal where they feed on skin debris.

Aural hematomas are common among ear mite infested cats due to the rupture of blood vessels within the ear. Cats of all ages and breeds can be affected with outdoor felines being the most susceptible to an ear mite infection. These mites create irritation and itchiness which cause the cat to scratch its ears. A common mite that causes skin infection and may involve areas of the head around the ears is demodex.

The most common ear mite of cats is otodectes cynotis and therefore an infestation with ear mites is sometimes called otodectic mange 1 ear mites primarily live in the ear canal where they feed on skin debris. Their presence causes inflammation and can also lead to secondary ear infections. The cause of ear mites in cats is coming into contact with other cats that have the mites. Notoedres infect cats usually the body and sometimes the ear.

These mites can cause significant inflammation and swelling in the ear canal and are very itchy. Cats can be allergic to pollen dust dust mites food ingredients and any number of substances in a home. This requires draining at the veterinary clinic.