How do you tell if a cat has eat mites? I know this is an incredibly silly question, but I really don't know. I wouldn't expect there to be any reason for an indoor cat to have them, right? Atrus has some waxiness in one ear, just the left one. Is this just normal ear stuff or something else? He does not scratch at his ears nor do they seem irritated at all. Well he scratches occasionally, but I scratch my ear occasionally too. I cleaned some up, not a lot because he wiggled so I let him go. It's just browny wax, as far as I can tell. There isn't a lot of it nor did it appear all of a sudden. I feel dumb.
Mites can be found by darker debris (black, crusty) in the ear. You may even see the light colored mites. Sometimes, there will also be a dark, relatively dry nasal discharge. Indoor only cats can get mites.
I gave Atrus's ear a good clean as I read somewhere that an indicator of mites would be if it comes back right away. It is not black and crusty, it is brown and decidedly waxy. And there was less than it looked like at first. And, what's weird is that it was only _one_ ear. Would it be likely that there would be mites in only one ear? His ears look healthy and pink, not inflamed or irritated. I can't say he liked me messing with his ear, but he tolerated it and started to purr after a few moments. I have been watching him closely and he does not scratch or shake his head around. Is it possible his ear was just dirty? Either way I feel pretty bad about it.
JanH Wrote:Sometimes, there will also be a dark, relatively dry nasal discharge.
Is that an indication of mites also?
When ours had mites they did shake their head alot and scratched and it was black crusty. All I can say is they were hard to clear up and she got them from her Mom who had gotten them from the time she escaped and became a Momma.
Chrysee Wrote:How do you tell if a cat has eat mites? I know this is an incredibly silly question, but I really don't know. I wouldn't expect there to be any reason for an indoor cat to have them, right? Atrus has some waxiness in one ear, just the left one. Is this just normal ear stuff or something else? He does not scratch at his ears nor do they seem irritated at all. Well he scratches occasionally, but I scratch my ear occasionally too. I cleaned some up, not a lot because he wiggled so I let him go. It's just browny wax, as far as I can tell. There isn't a lot of it nor did it appear all of a sudden. I feel dumb.
Don't feel dumb - as far as I can gather it's hard to tell, because - Like people - cats can have different colours and textures of earwax regardless of whether there is anything wrong or not. I don't know if it's true, but a book I have about cats and looking after them says that all cats have a small number of earmites - it's just when the balance is disrupted somehow and the number of them gets too high that they become a problem.
I think the general signs are scratching of the ear, wax that looks unusual for your particular cat, and shaking of the head.
xXx
Martine Wrote:JanH Wrote:Sometimes, there will also be a dark, relatively dry nasal discharge.
Is that an indication of mites also?
Yes.