Does My Cat Have Ear Mites?

Ear mites are tiny parasites that live in the ear canal and feed on skin debris and ear wax. They're the most common cause of ear problems in kittens and the second most common (after bacterial infections) in adult cats. They're highly contagious between cats and dogs through close contact.

The classic signs are unmistakable: intense ear itching (the cat scratches at their ears frequently and vigorously), dark, dry, crumbly ear discharge that looks like coffee grounds, head shaking, and sometimes scratching hard enough to cause wounds behind the ears. The ears may have an unpleasant odor.

If you look inside the ear, you'll see dark brown/black crumbly debris filling the ear canal. In severe infestations with a magnifying glass or otoscope, you can actually see the tiny white mites moving in the debris. Your vet will confirm the diagnosis by examining ear debris under a microscope.

Ear mites can live on other parts of the body temporarily, causing itching on the head, neck, and rump. They can also spread to dogs in the household — though they don't infest humans (they may cause transient skin irritation but can't establish a population).

Treatment is straightforward: prescription ear medications (selamectin/Revolution, ivermectin, or moxidectin) are highly effective. The entire treatment course must be completed — mite eggs take about 3 weeks to hatch, so treatment needs to cover the full lifecycle. ALL pets in the household should be treated simultaneously to prevent re-infestation.

Complications: secondary bacterial or yeast ear infections from the inflammation, ear hematoma (blood blister on the ear flap from vigorous head shaking), and in severe untreated cases, damage to the ear canal and eardrum.