If your cat is suffering from ear mites, you may be searching for natural solutions at-home. Unfortunately, many of the natural home remedies you find online won’t help and could actually make matters worse.
Ear mites are commonly observed in young cats, but they can also affect older animals. Fortunately, your veterinarian offers many safe and effective treatments to choose from.
Contents
1. Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is made by fermenting apples, water and some sugar with yeast and bacteria. The yeast converts the sugar to alcohol while the friendly bacteria convert it back to acetic acid – the primary component of vinegar.
Vinegar is commonly used in health products and has numerous beneficial effects on your body. For people with diabetes, vinegar helps regulate their blood sugar by lowering both fasting and postprandial (after-meal) glucose levels.
Exercise not only reduces cholesterol and triglyceride levels, but it can also boost HDL “good” cholesterol. But this only works if you maintain a healthy diet and get regular physical activity into your routine.
For optimal health benefits, opt for raw, unfiltered vinegar. The’mother’, which is a cloudy sediment in raw vinegar, contains beneficial strains of bacteria.
2. Ear Drops
Ear mites are a common issue for cats. These parasites live for two to three months, reproducing and feeding on skin debris and ear wax.
Cataracts can be extremely itchy and irritating, leading to a dark, gooey mess inside an infected cat’s ear canal that may smell funky or rotten. This could indicate the start of an advanced ear infection that needs professional treatment by your veterinarian.
Your veterinarian will prescribe the most suitable treatment for your cat’s individual needs. The type of ear medication they suggest depends on the severity of the infection as well as your cat’s age, weight and lifestyle.
Many medications are approved to treat ear mites in cats, such as Advantage Multi(r), Revolution(r), Milbemite(r), Simparica(r) and Bravecto(r). These daily topical treatments work by eliminating both adult and larval ear mites.
3. Revolution
Revolution for cats is a convenient, low dose monthly topical treatment formulated with selamectin that kills fleas, ticks, ear mites, lice, hookworms and roundworms for one full month.
Heartworm prevention also comes into play here, working by eliminating larvae inside your cat’s intestinal tract. This product is safe, effective and user-friendly – plus it comes with reminder stickers to help you stay on track!
Selamectin is effective against ear mites and fleas (Ctenocephalides felis). It can be used to treat both primary ear mite infestations as well as secondary bacterial and fungal infections.
4. Flea & Tick Medications
Fleas and ticks can be a real nuisance for pet parents, not only due to their bites but also because they spread diseases that could be hazardous to both pets and humans alike.
Flea and tick medications work by interfering with their nervous system function, leading to death. These drugs can be applied as ointments, shampoos or sprays on the affected areas.
Spot-on products are liquid medications applied directly onto your cat or dog’s skin, typically between the shoulder or at the base of the neck (for cats) or along the entire back from that base until the tail (dogs).
For optimal results, look for a product with imidacloprid and flumethrin as its active ingredients. This combination will kill fleas within 24 hours of application, as well as ticks 48 hours later.
