Ear Mites? Difficulty Bringing Cat To Vet

[Juliewang]

I want to bring my cat to the vet but parents won't let me since they don't see anything wrong with her.

Cat shakes head a lot and occasionally scratches her ear. If I stick my finger just a little bit inside she shakes her head. She also has a recurring scab below her ear that comes every summer.

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She hasn't seen a vet in 3 years (she's 4). I can pay for vet visits and medication but I can't bring her to the vet myself since a) I'm too young and b) all of my money is inside of my mom's bank account. I just recently convinced my mom to accept a vet visit for a rabies booster. Anything else she refuses, even a physical exam.

I need help on this. It's not that my parents refuse the vet visit because we're poor, but because they don't see anything wrong with her. If I just mention the subject to my mother she starts screaming at me. My dad is a lot nicer but whenever I ask him about the cats ears he says some pretty good points, like "there's no odor", "I don't see any redness," and "she's been scratching her ear for so long, it hasn't caused any deeper problems". Did I mention that my cat has been having this issue for over a year now? I'm really worried. Both of my parents went to medical school so they think they know everything. Neither them believe in yearly checkups. My mom always says "when I was young I had lots of cats who scratched their ears a lot" and "when I was a child my friends cat went to a vet and got an infection...". I'm really scared. I seriously have no power over the situation because of my immigrant parents from a third world country who think animals are just pets. I went on a tangent, but I just want to know if my cat has some problem with her ear

 

[Hellenww]

Most vets won't just give a shot without making sure the cat is healthy enough for a vaccine. You can trim your cats nails just snip the tip off with out cutting the quick. You can find videos to show you how. It will give the scab a chance to heal and prevent it next summer. Also check for fleas. They could also be causing some itching. A flea comb and set of trimmers are cheaper than a vet so maybe you're parents will be more agreeable to them.

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[jen]

Can you pick up some generic ear cleaner from the pet store? Or a tiny bit of warm water on a cotton ball and stick it deep in the cats ear, hold the cat still and massage the ear from the outside. You will hear a squishy sound. Then let go and step back and the cat will shake its head and the cotton will fly out along with any gunk. Usually ear mites are the real thick brown coffee ground looking chunks. They aren't nearly as common as you might think.

Scratching around the ear area is likely more allergy related if you aren't seeing any visual signs of dirt in the ears. If you are feeding the cat (for example) chicken based food, find one without chicken.

Also tell your parents that cats do everything possible to hide their pain and discomfort. As if they were in the wild, they don't show signs of weakness for survival. When you finally do see something wrong with them, the problem is often far advanced, and therefore much more expensive to treat. Are they looking in the cats mouth, checking its teeth, taking its temperature, checking its eyes, ears, and skin regularly to know there is nothing wrong? I am guessing the answer is no. What will they do when the cat is older and needs a dental cleaning? Nothing will visually be wrong from the outside but its going to be in a lot of pain when they teeth start rotting away.

I know it isn't your fault at all. It just kills me when people don't take their cat to the vet "because nothing is wrong" there is no way to know if it is having problems inside because they can't tell you. You will never know if it is having organ issues until they fail and it is suffering and too late. It is your job to educate them. Sounds like your dad is easier so start with him. Ask him to go to your mother with you and talk to her about it.

 

[jen]

Also if the cat goes outdoors is ABSOLUTELY needs a rabies vaccine. If that cat ever bit anyone they could be in a lot of trouble. If they get on board with rabies vaccine maybe while at the vet you could ask them to check other things too.