Parasites, both external and internal, are one of the main enemies of the welfare and he alth of our pets in general. But if we stop to think about how annoying it must be to have tiny beings proliferating in our ears or skin, we can understand how important it is to know everything possible about mites in cats, their symptoms, treatment and contagion
To do this, our site offers you this content as a general guide, to prevent this annoying infestation or stop it if it is already present in our cat.
Types of mites in cats
Mites are ectoparasites that settle in the skin to feed on it. Some dig tunnels in the dermis to do so, while others remain on the surface in order to profile and feed on the keratin. Thus, mites have a very large reproductive capacity, since, if the optimal conditions are met, they can increase their number very quickly and thus cause an infestation in their host.
In cats, there are different types of mites, the most common being those that cause scabies and otitis. Next, we show the most common mites in cats:
- Otodectes cynotis
- Demodex cati
- Demodex gatoi
- Notoedres cati
- Cheyletiella
The most common mite in cats: Otodectes cynotis
This mite, which is a kind of tiny spider that seems to have the gift of ubiquity, as there are some adapted to all possible environments, lives in the ear of dogs and cats Thus, along with pulicosis, this is the most commonly diagnosed external parasite in cats.
The life cycle of this common cat ear mite is about three weeks and includes the following phases:
- The eggs hatch after about 4 days in the ear canal.
- The larva that emerges feeds and begins to pass through various nymphal stages.
- Finally, 21 days after hatching, we have an adult ready to reproduce and perpetuate the infestation.
They live about 8 weeks, but they are well used for intense reproduction. Its color is whitish, and the females can be twice the size of the males, but in no case do they exceed 0.5 mm. However, we cannot classify them as microscopic, because if we have a cooperative cat and good eyesight, they can be seen relatively easily using the otoscope.
Although its habitat is the ear canal, in severe infestations it can spread to a wider area of skin on the head and face of our cat and, on occasion, a lost specimen can be detected in other areas of the body, its finding being normally anecdotal in those parts. It appears above all in the upper part of the tail, due to cats' habit of sleeping curled up.
It feeds on the external surface of the skin of the auditory canal (it does not excavate galleries) and its saliva causes irritation and itching, causing hypersecretion of the glands of the same.
Symptoms of Otodectes cynotis in cats
Otodectes cynotis is one of the main causes of otitis externa in cats, especially in young cats. The symptoms are easily recognizable and there does not have to be a massive infestation to see that our cat manifests them. In addition, there may be cases of hypersensitivity to these parasites (as occurs with fleas). Thus, to discover how to know if a cat has mites, it is important to highlight that the most frequent and characteristic clinical signs are:
- Dry yellowish-brown or blackish exudate, compared to coffee grounds or charcoal. Under normal conditions, the inside of our cat's ears should be pink and without exudate of any kind. However, if time passes and no remedy is put in place, there may be secondary contamination with bacteria or fungi, thereby varying the appearance and color of the discharge. So it looks like the cat has black ear wax
- Intense itching and frequent head shaking Scratching lesions do not take long to appear, being frequent on the back of the ears, on the cheeks, even on the neck (such as when humans suffer from otitis and notice an itchy sensation in the throat). Erythema and crusting secondary to scratching may also appear on the cheeks and upper eye area.
- Otohematomas Sometimes, the marked itching leads to scratching that ends up breaking the capillaries of the auricular cartilage, causing the accumulation of blood. The ear acquires the typical appearance of a dumpling. If drainage is not remedied, a clot forms which subsequently becomes fibrous, leaving a "wrinkled ear".
- Fibrosis and stenosis of the ear canal. If we do not treat the chronicity of the infestation, it can cause a thickening of the walls and, consequently, a reduction in the lumen of the canal, which can become irreversible as in any otitis.
Not all these symptoms always appear and, as mentioned, there is not always a correlation between the degree of infestation and the intensity of the symptoms.
Diagnosis of mites in cats
Because it is one of the most common parasites in cats, our veterinarian will perform an examination of the ear canal at each visit, being able to see this mite with the naked eye if you have enough time and our cat is calm. They usually introduce the otoscope without light, lighting up once inside, to catch the intruder by surprise, and not have time to hide in the secretions.
If secretions appear and no mites are detected in the cat, the specialist will take some samples using a swab and can be seen under the microscopeboth eggs and larvae hexapods (3 pairs of legs) and adults (with 4 pairs of legs). Sometimes a drop of oil is used to lubricate the rather dry secretions and make it easier for these arthropods to come out of hiding.
Although there are no intense secretions, or they are not apparent in a first check-up, if we continue to notice compatible discomfort in our cat, our veterinarian will insist on the search for isolated specimens that may be causing a reaction of hypersensitivity.
The fact that they are not seen in a first check-up does not mean that they are not there, and that is why it is very important explore the ear at each visit, especially in the first months of our cat's life.
Treatment for mites in cats (Otodectes cynotis)
In addition to the acaricide treatments, it is vitally important to clean the secretions with a suitable cleanser, at least twice a day. week at the beginning. These cleaners are usually oily, so they can help get rid of parasites mechanically (drowning them), an extra help to the antiparasitic that we must apply to our cat.
How to clean a cat's ears with mites
To clean the cat's ears, introduce a few drops of the cleaner into the auditory pavilion and, with a sterile gauze, proceed to clean the entire area, spreading the product well and exercising a gentle massage that In addition, it allows you to remove some of these parasites. These drops for mites in cats are usually a very effective complement to veterinary treatment. However, as a home remedy for mites in cats, it is possible to use olive oil instead, following the same procedure.
A small inconvenience is the accidental entry of a drop of these cleaning oils into the eye, so it is advisable to be very careful. Another incident is the possible appearance of Horner's Syndrome, secondary to cleaning. However, it is rare, and the benefits of cleaning outweigh the drawbacks.
Acaricides most used to eliminate mites in cats
- Selamectin topical (pipette): Because mites feed on blood and lymph, any product that passes into the blood of the cat, will be absorbed by them. Selamectin applied to the skin of the neck is absorbed by the blood capillaries and reaches optimal concentrations in a few hours, or at most, two days. The mites die by feeding. One dose may be enough, but it is recommended to repeat after 3 weeks (the estimated cycle time of the mite).
- Otic Ivermectin: There are gels with ivermectin designed to combine the oily effect of a cleanser with the acaricidal power of ivermectin. They are applied every 7 days for several weeks, but their effectiveness depends on how manageable our cat is and the depth to which we manage to insert the cannula. All products can cause reactions in both animals and people, but ivermectin, being one of the most widely used and studied, may have more data on known hypersensitivities. So, although it is very safe and effective, we must be aware of any possible side effect (depression, intense salivation, eye problems, difference in pupil size…).
If there is a secondary fungal or bacterial infection, it must be treated with specific products. There are otic suspensions that combine antifungals and antibiotics. Sometimes it is believed that they have acaricidal power but this is not the case. Its effect against mites lies in the ability to drown them. It is sometimes a short treatment and some may survive, so the use of a selamectin pipette is necessary, combined with the treatment of the infection.
Pipettes for mites in cats
Given that the use of pipettes is practically mandatory to treat mites in cats, it will be the veterinarian who will indicate the most appropriate for the treatment. Likewise, pipettes are an excellent preventive method that help prevent the proliferation of these parasites. To acquire them, there are online sales stores that make pipettes of the most recognized brands for their effectiveness available to users, such as Frontline, which allow these products to be obtained to prevent the appearance of mites in cats and other external parasites, such as fleas or ticks.. This is the case of MiPipeta, a project that offers pipettes for cats and dogs.
Otodectes cynotis infection
The intimate and direct contact is the contagion route. We have all wondered how it is possible that our kitten, with just two months, has mites. Probably his mother suffered from them and, in the upbringing, she has transmitted them to the whole litter. During that time there is close contact between kittens and mother, with continuous grooming included and the mites, like lice in children, soon reach the ears of all felines.
Although they can survive outside the ear canal for up to 10 days, the spread of mites in cats through fomites (objects such as blankets, etc.) is very unlikely, although it has not been ruled out. However, it should be a fairly unhygienic environment and a severe infestation.
We usually associate these parasites with stray cats, but it is quite common to find cats from cattery and shelters with a significant load of parasites in their ears, so we should never rule out this problem. Many times they suffer from them for years, and can be confused with the typical ceruminous secretions of furry cats: Persian, exotic…
Do cat mites spread to dogs?
If there has been a good connection between our cat and our dog and they spend the day together, playing, sleeping and grooming, we should check everyone's earsour animals. Not forgetting the ferrets!
Can humans get it too?
Some erythematous lesions may appear on the arms from direct contact, but again the environment and degree of infestation would have to be extreme. It is not ruled out in cases of overcrowding of cats, or some person who may have hypersensitivity to Otodectes cynotis and have the misfortune to contact a lost specimen.
Other mites in cats
Briefly, we summarize the other common mites that can affect our cats, less frequent in proportion, but just as important:
- Demodex cati and Demodex gatoi: Demodex gatoi is hardly mentioned, while Demodex cati may be behind ceruminous otitis in cats, although Compared to Demodex canis in dogs, it is not very common. It usually causes moderate otitis, without itching, but with abundant yellowish-brown cerumen, in otherwise he althy cats (it is responsible for feline otodemodecosis). It responds well to the treatments described above, but its excessive proliferation or that it affects the whole body is associated with lowered defenses or immunosuppression, which must be corrected.
- Notoedres cati: this mite causes the so-called "cat head mange or notoedric mange", it is comparable to Sarcoptes scabiei in dogs in terms of life cycle and action. It is spread by direct contact and the initial lesions are located precisely on the head and neck, with the intense itching on the face being what is most striking. Secondary injuries are inevitable. It is quite frequent in colony cats, and the treatment in these cases can be the application of ivermectin in the food every week, for several weeks. The problem is that we will never know which cat has taken it, or if one has taken multiple doses. For affected house cats, treatments against the other mentioned mites also work (selamectin for example). We recommend you review the article on our site that talks about mange in cats.
- Cheyletiella: The walking dandruff or fur mite that can be seen with the naked eye in dogs, cats and rabbits. Its oral apparatus allows it to anchor itself to feed on tissue fluids. Some compare them to a "saddle" when studied in detail. The symptoms are "dandruff" and itching, and the treatments are the same as for other mites in cats. In puppies, spraying with fipronil can be used.
