Can ear mites migrate out of the ear?

Sorry if this is a dumb question...

My Callie is going into the vet tonight because I'm almost positive she has ear mites. My real question relates to whether or not ear mites would leave the ear and go into her fur. She does not have fleas, but the last few days she has been acting very strange... she scratches and bites all over herself, and she lays on the floor and rubs her body all over the rug (it appears that she's scratching herself using the rug, dragging her face and body all over the place). Then she'll stop and scratch some more (body, ears, face), then she'll drag herself around a little more.

She seems very upset by whatever is going on, and I feel so sorry for her. I feel like such a bad mommy because maybe I could have prevented whatever is going on. She won't even cuddle or play like usual, because she's too busy scratching. Is it possible this is the ear mites, or something else?

Thanks!

I would say it is something else... Ear mites only cause problems in the ears

once she is at the vets - let him check her for other creepy crawlies!!!!

there's a whole slew of creepy-crawly things a cat can pick up--esp. if they are indoor/outdoor cats. Have the vet look at her fur/skin as well to see what might be causing the itchies. Good luck!

We just got back from the vet and have confirmed that Callie has ear mites.

My vet gave us various pamphlets from different sources about these little buggies. All of the reading material we have now says that mites readily migrate through a cat's fur, usually only on the head and face as they travel from one ear to the other. And this is especially common with a large infestation (i.e. they move out of one ear because it gets crowded). So we're treating with Revolution and hopefully this will clear up our problems. We were also advised to treat our other cat for prevention, even though she (so far) shows no signs of having been infected.

Kathy

Originally Posted by kathy14

We just got back from the vet and have confirmed that Callie has ear mites.

My vet gave us various pamphlets from different sources about these little buggies. All of the reading material we have now says that mites readily migrate through a cat's fur, usually only on the head and face as they travel from one ear to the other. And this is especially common with a large infestation (i.e. they move out of one ear because it gets crowded). So we're treating with Revolution and hopefully this will clear up our problems. We were also advised to treat our other cat for prevention, even though she (so far) shows no signs of having been infected.

Kathy

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Thanks for posting this info, It is some thing to keep in mind with me having 5 cats. Debbie

Miss Kitty had the nastiest case of ear mites when I got her from the shelter (the vet barely glanced and sort of jumped up he was shocked to see so many). She's all about rubbing up against things in general, and boy wasn't I relieved when she stopped doing it with her ears - I knew she was feeling better. Anyway, she had a HORRIBLE case, and all it took were two treatments of the meds (once at the vet, once a month later) and she's been perfect ever since. Treating both kitties at once is very smart - as they are highly contageous.

Here's hoping to a speedy recovery!

MKD

I am dealing with a stray cat that found me with very bad ear mites also. He has been treated 2 times now with revolution and I am also using the Hartz ear mite drops. He had them so bad his ears even smelled bad. My wife tries to keep his ears clean the best she can but we are having a rough time getting them cleared up. Tom