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Ear Mites in Cats & Kittens
Simba, have just went to my humane society and saved a 4mo. old gray tiger kitten, I sent him to the vet and he has been neutered and de-clawed, and had his feline leukemia test done (negative), his rabies test, distemper shot, wormer and heart-guard pills. There is one thing though...he has ear mites. We have a puppy, and the vet told me to keep my kitty in a separate room for a month, while we are treating the mites with eardrops. Can the mites jump off from the cat into the bed or on the floor while I'm treating him? I want to make sure my home and my puppy are safe. Joe Dear Joe, Yuk. As you probably know ear mites are little parasites that live on the surface of the skin lining in the ear canal. They are like small microscopic ticks! The mite itself is barely visible (a small white dot). However you can usually identify the presence of mites by the dry black ear discharge in the inside of the ear. That yucky discharge is a combination of ear wax, blood, ear mites, oils and waste.
What mites do is pierce the skin surface
and feed off ear wax, blood, loose tissue and anything else in
there that they find appetizing. When they do this they cause
inflammation, discomfort and very irritating ear infections. In
addition, Kitty may itch and scratch...this can lead to a whole
new set of injuries secondary infections...
The good news is that unlike fleas, ear mites cannot jump off and infest you or your home so do not worry as much about that. However, because feline ear mites can be transmitted from cats to other cats and from cats to dogs you so need to keep kitty and the puppy away from each other until the kitten completes the vet recommended treatment While the kitten is in treatment be sure
that you keep him comfortable and cozy with toys, water, litter
& food. Play with him and be sure
to continue giving him love and affection! Also, be sure to wash
your hands thoroughly after treatment. See a picture of the nasty
critter below. Yuk! Simba
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