Do you think your cat possibly has otitis? Do you know how otitis could have occurred in the ears of your faithful companion? What are the symptoms, how is it treated and what consequences can it have?
If you are interested in knowing about everything related to otitis in cats, read carefully this article on our site and help your pet regain its he alth.
What is otitis in cats?
Otitis is the inflammation of the epithelium that lines the ear canal and pinna This inflammation usually causes pain and temporary hearing loss and, in addition, it is accompanied by many other symptoms that make it more easily identifiable and that we will explain later.
This ear problem usually occurs a lot when felines are with low defenses for some reason and it has been proven that the times of the year in which it occurs most are spring and summer, due to the increase in temperature and the humidity of the environment.
Is there a predisposition in any type of cat?
First of all, to say that, in general, there is less predisposition to otitis in cats than in dogs. But, in reality, any individual can suffer from otitis and, within domestic felines, we find that those with the greatest predisposition are one and two years old
In addition, specimens with long hair,, as they usually have a lot of hair in their ears, are also more likely to suffer from otitis, since that the hairs in the ears retain more dirt and moisture.
Felines that are a lot of time outdoors are also at greater risk of ear diseases, including otitis, so they Periodic inspection of your ear canals is very important. They are also very prone to this ear problem, but secondarily, individuals who present the very low defenses due to some other main problem.
Types of otitis in cats
There are various types of otitis depending on their cause and the area of the ear they affect. According to this last criterion we can classify them in:
- Otitis externa: This is the most common otitis, but it is the least serious and the easiest to treat. It affects the external ear, that is, the auditory canal from the auricle to the eardrum. If this otitis is very severe, the auricle is greatly affected and the eardrum can rupture and the inflammation and condition spread to the middle ear, causing secondary otitis media.
- Otitis media: This otitis most commonly occurs when an external otitis has been ineffectively treated. It occurs in the area of the middle ear, where we find the eardrum, which has become inflamed and even ruptured.
- Otitis interna: is inflammation of the inner ear and is usually caused by trauma or bad otitis media or external otitis. cured. Due to its depth in the ear, it is the most complex otitis to cure.
Causes of otitis in cats
Otitis can be caused by various causes, for example, foreign bodies lodged in the ear canal, bacteria, fungi (yeast), external parasites such as mites and trauma to the area. We explain them in more detail below:
- Ectoparasites: The ectoparasites that most frequently cause otitis in felines are mites, microscopic external parasites, which, when they occur in large number in an area, they can be seen directly. These mites are called Otodectes cynotis and they not only live in the ear, but are also found on the skin of the head and neck.
- Bacteria and fungi (yeast): these are opportunistic pathogenic microorganisms that cause an ear infection in cats. They take advantage of situations such as excess humidity, residual water that may have remained in the ear after a bath, the presence of foreign bodies, trauma, allergies and irritation caused by inappropriate ear cleaning products. The most common bacteria are Pasteurella multocida, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus, and E. coli. In the case of fungi, the most common is Malassezia.
- Foreign bodies: Sometimes, especially in cats that spend a lot of time outside, they can get into the duct auditory some objects such as leaves, twigs and spikes that become a foreign body lodged in the ear. This will bother the animal a lot, which will try to remove it, generally without success, and in the end, it will end up damaging and inflaming the ear and producing secondary otitis due to bacteria or opportunistic fungi. We must avoid extracting the foreign body ourselves. Better to let a veterinarian do it with suitable material. In cats this case of otitis is less frequent than in dogs.
- Trauma: As we mentioned before, another reason that can cause secondary otitis in the ears of our colleagues is trauma, that is,, some blow that has caused damage internally and from this inflammation and wounds bacteria and fungi take advantage to cause an otitis.
There are other diseases or problems that give rise to secondary otitis, although less frequently. Thus, otitis can also be derived from pathologies suffered by the feline and, therefore, be a symptom of these. For example:
- Hereditary keratinization problem: it is a keratinization defect that occurs inherited and is more frequent in cats Persians. This problem causes inflammation and seborrhea and easily leads to secondary erythematous and ceruminous otitis. If it gets complicated, it can lead to secondary purulent otitis.
- Atopy and food allergy: These types of allergies are more common in dogs, but are also seen in domestic cats. They can cause secondary otitis, especially when they have previously caused facial dermatoses. In this case, various types of bacteria are usually opportunistic organisms, but, above all, the yeast (fungus) Malassezia pachydermis.
- Contact hypersensitivity and irritant reaction: Cats, in general, are very sensitive to medications, but especially to products ear cleaners, such as ear drops. These often cause serious irritation in the ear canal, giving way to secondary otitis. We should never use these products if they are not indicated for use in cats and, preferably, we will use one recommended by our veterinarian.
- Immune diseases: These types of diseases are associated with ear lesions and external otitis. Due to the excessively low defenses that they cause in our pets, bacteria and fungi find the opportunity to proliferate and secondary external otitis occurs with great ease. We must keep FIV or feline immunodeficiency virus very much in mind.
- Tumours: There are cases in older cats in which otitis is recurrent and even chronic, and a tumor should be suspected, either benign or malignant, in the adjoining structures of the ear. For example, squamous cell carcinomas of the ears are common.
- Nasopharyngeal polyps: are non-neoplastic proliferations. It is common for these polyps to be detected in young cats in the area of the middle ear, the ear canal and the nasopharyngeal mucosa. Along with foreign bodies, these polyps are the most common cause of unilateral external otitis in cats. In this case, the otitis is usually resistant to medication and can lead to otitis media with respiratory signs.
- More diseases and problems that can cause otitis: we highlight scabies, seborrheic disorders and metabolic, endocrine and nutritional diseases.
Is otitis in cats contagious?
Depends on the cause Some possible sources of otitis, such as ear mites, are spread by direct contact with an infested area or animal. This contagion by direct contact, because the constant control of everyone and in all aspects of their he alth is always very difficult.
But otitis can occur without contagion, that is, it can also occur secondary to trauma or a bacterial infection or fungal due to a foreign body, among other causes.
Symptoms of otitis in cats
The clinical signs that our feline will present in case of otitis will depend on and will vary, especially in intensity, depending on the origin of the otitis. The symptoms that we will recognize are:
- Frequent shaking of the head.
- Head tilt. If it occurs only to one side, it indicates unilateral otitis, which is usually caused by the presence of a foreign body in that ear. If both ears are bothered, cats will alternate sides depending on whether one or the other bothers them more.
- Pain in the area when we caress them. They tend to whine, meow a lot and even scream due to pain.
- Itching that can range from moderate to severe.
- Because of the itching they scratch and rub their ears and neck very frequently until wounds occur in the area.
- Red and swollen ear area.
- Irritation, exudation and pyoderma of the entire affected area.
- Bad mood and even aggressiveness, no desire to play and may stop eating due to pain.
- Lots of dark earwax in the ears.
- Hearing loss.
- Bad smell in the ears.
- Hair loss in areas affected by excessive scratching.
- Presence of mites in the ears. In very severe infestations, it should be taken into account that it may be a case of too low defenses due to FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus).
- Otohematoma: problem derived from excessive scratching and continuous shaking of the head. Otohematomas are accumulation of blood in the auricle and appear on its concave surface, between the cartilage and the skin or within the cartilage, when the blood capillaries break. Externally it looks like a ball in the ear that bothers the animal a lot and is very hot. The only solution is surgery.
It is of vital importance for the he alth of our companion that as soon as we detect just one of these symptoms, we go to our trusted veterinarian to check it out and advise us.
How to cure otitis in cats? - Treatment
If you wonder how to treat otitis in cats, you have to know that the treatment will depend on its cause and it is very important follow it conscientiously and to the end. In other words, don't stop giving cat otitis medications even if it seems like the problem has been resolved. This way you avoid relapses by leaving them ahead of time. Treatment mainly consists of:
- First remove the foreign body if there is one.
- Clean and dry the ear.
- Make sure what the cause is in order to apply the appropriate treatment. Let's look at the most common examples:
- Foreign body: the veterinarian must remove the foreign body to be able to treat otitis with ear and topical medications that we prescribe, applied as you have explained.
- Bacteria: cleaning should be done so that the specialist can better check the entire ear canal. In the case of bacterial otitis, he will prescribe drops for otitis in cats, with antibacterial components.
- Fungi (yeast): Once the veterinarian has been able to determine that fungi are the cause, he will prescribe the appropriate fungicide product.
- Ectoparasites: the vet will prescribe an antiparasitic, for example a pipette to distribute in the area of the withers of the animal, and a acaricidal ear product, as well as anti-inflammatories to reduce inflammation and pain.
In the event that all of the above does not take effect or from the beginning the veterinarian considers that it is the only solution, surgical treatment will be performed.
We must know that when ear drops of any kind are applied to an animal in the ear, it will then shake its head to expel them because they bother it. But it is very important to continue with the treatment and let him shake his head to expel the dirt as well. Surely, the vet will offer us a Elizabethan collar for our cat. It may seem like a nuisance to him, but he should get used to it and wear it, since it will prevent him from scratching himself and getting more wounds or undesirable otohematomas.
Home remedies for otitis in cats
There are no home remedies for otitis in our cats. Whenever we detect any discomfort in the ear area, we should go to the vet. It is essential to know the cause, since the treatment will depend on it. Delaying the visit, in addition to causing the cat more pain, can only complicate the situation, worsen the condition and make healing difficult.
In addition, we should not risk putting anything into our cat's ear if we do not know the state of his eardrum. At home we can, preventively, keep the cat's ears he althy, as we will see in the next section. If we already have a diagnosis and we want to try some natural remedy, never replacing the treatment prescribed by the veterinarian, we must consult this professional to confirm that it will not be detrimental to the cat's evolution.
How to prevent otitis in cats?
Next we are going to give you a few tips to prevent otitis in cats:
- Keep track of your he alth from home: It is of vital importance that, on a regular basis, whenever we brush and bathe our pets we look at the state of their ears. If we detect any of the symptoms described above, we should not hesitate to go to the vet as soon as possible and thus avoid pain, discomfort and complications for our friends.
- Prevent the ears from getting dirty: When we groom our cats we must pay attention to the dirt they may have in their ears. If we see that some accumulated earwax needs to be cleaned, which is usually every two or three weeks, we will never use the cotton swabs that we usually use, as we can do a lot of damage to the inner ear in the event of a sudden movement. and even rupture the eardrum. For this reason, the best way to clean the ear is with our finger wrapped in a sterile gauze moistened with physiological serum to gently remove the dirt only from the area of the auricle, that is, only from the area that we see, without going deeper..
- Prevent the ears from getting wet: During the bath we must avoid getting water and soap in the ears. A simple way is to plug the ears with cotton, so that we can easily remove them later. It is very important that neither abundant nor pressurized water enters to avoid rupture of the eardrum, but if the ear gets wet we must still make sure that we leave it dry and clean.
- Periodic vet check: Every time we go to the vet you should check the condition of the ears more thoroughly than we can do at home. This way we will avoid that, if an otitis occurs, we take too long to realize it and the consequences are more serious.
