Ear mites are Otodectes cynotis. They’re eight-legged members of the spider family and look like tiny white ticks.
They are so small they’re nearly invisible to the naked eye so the primary way you’ll know if your cat has them may be from a strong odor in their ears. Ear mite problems also come with a black or brown secretion with a waxy appearance deep inside the ears, along with inflammation of the outer ears.
Your cat may exhibit behavioral patterns of keeping their ears flat against their head, constantly shaking their head, and continually rubbing their ears.
Other signs of an ear mite infection are the presence of black specks or the appearance of “coffee grounds” in your cat’s ears. They feed on the ear wax, oils, and debris in your cat’s ears in addition to living there.
Ear mite presence creates secondary problems with bacteria and fungus growing in the ears, leading to infections. If left untreated, ear mite infestations can lead to a permanent loss of hearing.
Where Do Cats Get Ear Mites?
In every known case with cats, ear mites come from other cats. They are contagious, spreading from one animal to another through physical contact.
Ear mite infection is what is known as a “socialization infection”, which means it’s transmitted from one animal to another, usually through grooming behavior, playing, mating, or sleeping together for warmth.
Did You Know
Ear mite infection is highly contagious. Having multiple pets at home that constantly come in contact with each other presents the perfect breeding ground for ear mites. All it takes is a single casual contact.
This explains how indoor cats get ear mites without going outside. An infected cat is brought into the house or comes in contact with them through some other means and the ear mites rapidly crawl from one cat to the other.
On rare occasions, ear mites will come into a house from the outside without being carried by its host. It’s unusual for it to happen since they’re parasites and typically need a host for their survival.
However, it can happen, in which case you’ll need to think about a regular pesticide treatment (below).
How Can Cat Ear Mite Infections Be Prevented?
The means for preventing ear mites in cats is fairly obvious from the foregoing. You prevent ear mites from infecting your cat by isolating them from unknown cats. They can also contract them from dogs, so keep all strays away from them as well.
If you must bring other cats or dogs into your house (because you’re dog or cat-sitting, keeping them for a friend who is going on a trip) inspect the animal’s ears before letting them into your house. If you see any signs of an ear mite infection, don’t let them in.
Since ear mites are a member of the spider family, treating the house inside and out with a standard insecticide for killing spiders is an excellent method of preventing an ear mite infection.
This technique however works best for inside cats and not for the outdoor type. Use either an Esfenvalerate pesticide or a Bifenthrin-based insecticide.
Either one will work just fine. Use them to treat around the windows and doors, around the cracks and crevices, along the eaves, and around any electrical or plumbing intrusions.
Studies have found that fipronil is an excellent preventative topical treatment for cats. Oddly enough, fipronil was originally designed to kill termites, and it’s still used for that purpose today. It’s regarded as the silver bullet for killing termites and now has been adapted for controlling ear mites as well.
For treating cats, Frontline Topical Medication contains fipronil and can be used as a preventative as well as a treatment if your cat already has ear mites.
Be aware that preventatives, intended to stop an infestation before it gets started, typically are not as strong as medicines or treatments which are intended to be used after the infestation has begun. If you decide to use a preventative as a treatment, you’ll need to increase the dosage in order for it to work effectively.
Can People Catch Ear Mites from Cats?
No.
The environment inside the human ear is very different from the one inside a cat’s ears. Therefore ear mites can’t survive in human ears.
The ear mites can tell the difference between us and our pets and stay away from people. This means you don’t have to worry about catching ear mites from your cats.
5 Best Ear Mite Medicines for Cats
As a quick recap, here are the top 5 cat ear mite medicines we looked at.
Our #1 pick goes to the Arava Natural Ear Mite Treatment for Cats. Be sure to take a look at the Zymox Ear Solution, a half-strength version that costs a little less.
- Arava Natural Ear Mite Treatment for Cats
- Zymox Ear Solution (a half-strength version of the first one)
- Otomite Plus Ear Mite Treatment (works without irritation)
- SENTRY HC EARMITE
- Frontline Gold for Cats
Arava Natural Ear Mite Treatment for Cats
Arava Natural Ear Mite Treatment for Cats is specially formulated to treat all types of ear problems. The natural ingredients found in this product are from the most refined essential oils available.
It also contains a blend of 26 Dead Sea Minerals that help eliminate ear mites. There are no pesticides or chemicals, and it is safe to use every day.
Apply Arava Natural Ear Mite Treatment as a preventive measure or a frontline remedy for ear mites or infections. It’s gentle and effective, and it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Zymox Ear Solution
The active ingredient here is 0.5% Hydrocortisone, half the strength of the first Zymox treatment above.
The difference is that this formulation is intended mainly for infections rather than ear mites directly. It’s a bit cheaper though and will eventually accomplish the same result as the stronger version.
To get the best results you’ll need to double the number of drops you use each time, or treat your cat twice a day instead of only once a day.
Warm it up in a cup of hot water before each use so it won’t be cold when you put the drops in your cat’s ears. They accept it much better that way.
As with the stronger version, apply this in a small room that has a tiled flooring, preferably a bathroom. This will make it easier to clean up any mess or spills that occur as these drops are pretty oily and slippery.
Otomite Plus Ear Mite Treatment
This treatment eliminates ear mites without causing irritation in the process. The active ingredient is pyrethrin in an olive oil suspension that helps it penetrate all the way into the ear.
You’ll need to clean your cat’s ears with ear wipes before using this product, then massage their ears to work the solution in as deeply as possible.
If you don’t do the cleaning before applying the drops, they won’t work nearly as well. They may not even work at all since this product doesn’t have much in the way of penetrating power.
Once your cat’s ears are cleaned though, this medicine will work just fine. Follow the instructions and don’t skimp on the drops. If your cat appears to be over the ear mites before the treatment is completed, continue it anyway to make sure all of them are dead.
The instructions also recommends re-treating your cat after 14 days for best results and this is good advice.
Don’t gloss over it or your pet will be the one to suffer for. Keep a close eye on your pet after the first treatment or two, as some pets may be allergic to these drops.
SENTRY HC EARMITE
The active ingredient here is pyrethrin, which some cats can be allergic to. This is actually a fairly common problem.
If your cats develop extremely red ears, or their skins starts to peel like they’ve got a sunburn or both, it’s a sign they’re allergic to pyrethrins and you should stop using it immediately.
In order to test if your cats are allergic to pyrethrins, put one drop in their ear, up toward the top, then give it a day or two to see what happens. If they don’t have any of the reactions listed above it means they’re not allergic and you can safely use this medicine on them.
If they’re not allergic, this will work but it takes 2-3 treatments a day for several weeks to gain control over the ear mites. This works but it is very slow acting. Give it time and it will eventually get rid of the ear mites.
Clean your cat’s ears each time before treating them with this medicine and be sure to massage your cat’s ears carefully after each treatment to help it penetrate deep down where the mites live.
Frontline Gold for Cats
This has three active ingredients; Fipronil (9.80%), (S)-Methoprene (11.80%), and Priproxyfen (0.25%) and is the over-the-counter version of the Frontline Topical Medication for Fleas, Ticks and Ear Mites that has to come from your veterinarian.
All three of these ingredients are well-known pesticides with proven track records of success.
Since this is a weaker version of the prescription strength treatment, be sure to use it only for ear mites.
Fleas and ticks are more robust and harder to kill than ear mites, and it might not work on them. Ear mites are so small that almost any amount of pesticide will prove to be fatal to them.
Continue the full course of treatment even if your cat appears to be completely healed. Stopping halfway through and possibly leaving some ear mites still living will have the effect of inoculating them to the pesticides in this medicine.
