Ear Mites & Tape Worm

bex__

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We adopted TJ last Thursday and took him to the vet yesterday for his check up. Our regular vet was not in and I was surprised when a lady walked in as no one had told us we'd be seeing her instead.

Turned out that little TJ has ear mites and tape worm (I knew that one). The vet even let us look at the scope to see his ear mites since I had seen absolutely no signs of them, he had not been scratching or anything.

She did a dose in each ear and said that should be it. She also gave us a pill to give to TJ to get rid of the worms. He took it like a champ, no biggie.

I asked about our other two cats getting either issue. My gut and head says that yes, they need to be dewormed now too but I am not sure on the ear mites. She said that TJ has not been here long enough for our other two cats to contract the problems?? My gut says that can't be true.

I am probably going to have to take Louie back for another urine test anyway (she said they barely got enough & it may not work??) anyway so I will ask our regular vet then but in the mean time, to help my worries, here I am!
 

stephanietx

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They could possibly get the ear mites, but those can be treated with a topical application of Revolution as a preventative. The tapeworms shouldn't be a problem unless they either have fleas and ingest one or ingest one of the live worms possibly passed into the litter box. I know that when Tumbles had tapeworms, our vet told us it was nearly impossible for those to be transmitted via the litter box or any other method.
 
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bex__

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Whew, that makes me feel better! Our cats are on flea meds, so no fleas with them. I am assuming that TJ got them from his mom? Or from fleas he had when in the shelter?

I'm going to keep a watch on the ear mites... How long after the medication is put in his ears should I clean out any crusty junk? Also, how do I tell the difference from "normal" cat ear wax and ear mite stuff?

In all my years of cat ownership, I've never dealt with ear mites except on a cat who showed up when I was 5 years old at my Grandparent's. He had ear mites so badly when he got there that his one ear permanently laid down once it was treated and cleared up. He was an awesome cat once my Grandparents took him in but I was too little to remember anything that they did for him.
 

rad65

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You don't really ever need to clean their ears after being treated. My kitten was treated at the shelter, and they said to just let the medicine work even though it would look nasty wiht that goop in there. If it looks bad after a month or so, you can take a dry cotton ball and GENTLY rub the ear, without digging in at all. Cotton swabs should never be used. That's what my vet did when I brought my kitten in for his distemper after ~ a month of him coming here.

Ear mite residue is dark and flaky looking, because it is really dried blood at the site of ear mite bites. Normal ear wax is also dark, but has an amber tint to it and has more of a petroleum jelly consistency.
 

stephanietx

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Ear mites can be tough to eradicate sometimes, but watch your kitty. If you see him rubbing his ears or keeping them lowered like airplane wings, then you should get him back to the vet just to be sure you're not looking at some kind of ear infection or if he still has ear mites. You shouldn't need to clean the ears, but just watch him for signs that he's still got the mites.
 

ziggy'smom

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As stated, tapeworm is not contagious. A cat has to injest a flea in order to get it. It could have happened at any time really.

I have to disagree that you should not clean the ears after ear mites. I normally clean the ears out of the gunk before I put the ear mite meds in. After the solution is put in the ear some of the gunk will come up and you should clean that out and keep the ear clean. I use a wet cotton ball that I twist into a "string" (for lack of a better word) so that I can get into the ear a bit. Q-tips should only be used in the outer ear. You can also use a bulb syringe to rinse the ear out with warm water. You may have to clean the ear out several times.

I would also recommend that you treat your kitten with Revolution if he's old enough as this will prevent the mites from coming back. Ear mites can live in the environment and although the risk is not bit it could spread to your other cats. I would treat all cats with Revolution to be on the safe side.
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by Ziggy'smom

You can also use a bulb syringe to rinse the ear out with warm water.
This is not safe advice. Never put water in your cats ear. Due to their shape it can get trapped inside, not dry out, and then cause an infection. Only use vet approved cleaners that are "drying".

Since the vet put drops in the ears at the clinic (likely invermectin) did they send more home or tell you that it had to be repeated in 21 days OR that you had to use Revolution?
 
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