Boomer- Ear infection?

Before I got Boomie like most uncared for cats he had ear mites. He was treated with Revolution and his ears were cleaned when he was neutered. They didn't do an ear lavage though, they just cleaned them with a cotton swab. I thought his ears would be fine. Today I noticed a head tilt and one of his eyes was running. While I petted him I gently rubbed my pinky finger inside of the ear that he was leaning towards. I pulled out a gob of brown crud, with a tinge of blood. It also immediately sent him into a sneezing fit and his eye teared up more. He is quite itchy too.
Will one dose of topical Revolution kill ear mites completely or does he have to be treated with ear drops too? What are the chances of a secondary bacterial infection?
I know the real answer to my questions is "bring him to the vet", which I will when they re-open Monday. In the meanwhile I am just seeking feedback. Anything I can do to make him more comfortable?

Chances of secondary bacterial infection are pretty good. Often kittens that have long term untreated ear issues like mites, infection or yeast, do tend to have occasional trouble all their lives.

I don't recommend home treatments for ears, until after a vet has been consulted. Can you find out who's on call? Given that you saw blood, I would probably not wait until Monday, I would want him seen tomorrow.

There's nobody on call and the clinic doesn't re-open till Monday. I have occasionally been able to get my vet for emergencies, but more often than not I end up at the E-Vet. Unfortunately the E-Vet is 45 minutes away and $125 just to see them. After spending $450 boarding my cats I am not in a position to go there. Granted, if it were a REAL emergency I would, but I don't feel he is in any immediate danger.
The blood was light, probably from surface capillaries being irritated. I was hoping to find something topical to soothe them until we can go in.

I got my cat when he was a kitten from the rescue centre and he had been treated for mites there. I hadn't had him long before he had them return. We went to the vet and he had a course of ear drops which cleared them up. I am sure that revolution could work for a specific problem but as you are not sure if it is mites I wouldn't use it. He could have an infection which would need to be treated by a vet and if he has, his ear could be very sensitive to touch and painful for him. Is it just the one ear or both? Does he seem to be at all off balance? I do think that he needs to be seen by the vet definately, I also understand that finances do require you to have to think twice at times too. Keep a good eye on him, if he's in pain he may well go and find somewhere to hide so keep checking! I hope he gets better soon

One vet told me that ear mites are largely a disease of kittens or immune-compromised cats. A bacterial or yeast infection is more likely in adult cats.

Have the vet check it on Monday. In the meantime, you CAN use some mineral oil to soothe the ears and help clean them, if you want to.

I was also going to mention a yeast infection in the ear. My girl that had ear mites so bad when I got her developed a yeast infection once the mites were gone. The vet mentioned she probably had the yeast infection and the mites at the same time, but the mites were the most visible so were addressed first.

Originally Posted by mrblanche

One vet told me that ear mites are largely a disease of kittens or immune-compromised cats. A bacterial or yeast infection is more likely in adult cats.

Have the vet check it on Monday. In the meantime, you CAN use some mineral oil to soothe the ears and help clean them, if you want to.

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Mineral oil is okay for wax, when you know you are dealing with wax. I would not recommend putting anything into Boomer's ear until you know what you are dealing with.

I don't judge you for waiting until Monday. I was only saying what I would do in a similar circumstance. But then, my vet belongs to a network of vets who go on call for each other. If all I had for an option was an ER clinic, unless kitty was in obvious pain, I probably would wait until Monday too.

Keep us posted.

Originally Posted by otto

Mineral oil is okay for wax, when you know you are dealing with wax. I would not recommend putting anything into Boomer's ear until you know what you are dealing with.

I don't judge you for waiting until Monday. I was only saying what I would do in a similar circumstance. But then, my vet belongs to a network of vets who go on call for each other. If all I had for an option was an ER clinic, unless kitty was in obvious pain, I probably would wait until Monday too.

Keep us posted.

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I know. If he were in pain or his ear were hemorrhaging of course I would take him to the ER. Come to think of it, I am supposed to have a free month of sheltercare insurance on him. Neither here nor there, just popped into my mind.
He is not in pain. He is itchy and sneezy from whatever is going on in his ears. He is not hiding, or lethargic, or refusing food and water. He is actually getting more meezer-like every day. He yowls at me, and grabs my pants leg when I try to leave the room.
It really sucks not having an on call vet. It's also difficult with the closest ER being a 45 minute drive. I have done a few 85 mph 3 am runs to the E-Vet and it's very stressful not knowing if you are going to make it in time.

I suggest a trip in to vet on monday as mentioned secondary infections are common...

what is the current diet >?

He is getting Orijin 6 fish. I also have a bag of Holistic Selects duck formula that I have be rotating. He got some green tripe last night and loved it. It's only been 3 weeks on a good diet-- before that he was eating garbage (literally) at the home of the hoarder that died.

I would likely stick to just one diet for at least 3-4 months ( ie just the fish or just the duck) wet food mixing up protein s is fine...

Yeast likes excess grains or starches like peas and potatos..

for up to 6 months you may see poor diet health issues : skin , coat, eyes , ears

Really? I have always rotated foods with all of my animals. Maybe he does need consistency in his diet for a while considering his background. I can tell he has suffered nutritional deficiencies. He has almost all of his incisors missing and his canines are brown. No, not covered in tartar, they are clean but the enamel is brownish. He is also slightly bow legged in the front and his front paws point outwards. He might have some eyesight deficits as well. He does not have crossed eyes like many poorly bred colorpoints/siamese, but he seems to have difficulty with object recognition. Like his water bowl. I picked it up to re-fill it, and when I brought it back he hissed at it until I let him sniff it.
I know the gene that causes the colorpoint pattern is a form of albinism which can cause eyesight problems. However, he might not have gotten enough taurine in his diet as a kitten either. Who knows? His eyes look clear but there could be neurological damage.
He loves my husband already, and is going nose to nose with the dogs through a baby gate. He seems to be adjusting well despite his rough beginnings.

Unfortunately, stress also aggravates everything and can contribute to various illnesses, just like in humans. Keep an eye on him and get him in for a check up as soon as you can.