Ear mites?

[ItsViper]

I did some research (im calling the vet tomorrow just to be extra sure) because it looks like coffee grinds in my one cats ear. All the research points to ear mites. Now i'm confused because my cat DID just come back from the vet on the 16th but they didn't say anything about ear mites. He was treated before for this same issue about five months ago. I'm unsure why the vet hadn't said anything to me about this. I have no idea what to give him and he's very iffy with things in his ear. He's very sensitive about me touching his ears but he tolerates it. I don't know what product to use with minimal touch of putting something in his ear, he's already upset about the surgery and not being able to really scratch the stitched ear. If anyone has something good to suggest to me it'd be greatly appreciated. Thanks so much!

 

[sivyaleah]

May not be mites. It could be an overgrowth of yeast - causing infection. They look quite similar to each other.

Sometimes ear issues are related to allergies. Our younger one has had this problem for a while. Our regular vet kept treating it but it kept returning so we opted to take her to a feline dermatologist. After testing we found out she did indeed have several allergies that were related to pollens, grasses etc (even though 100% indoors, these things do float in when opening doors/windows, dragging it in on shoes/clothing).

Once she started being treated with allergy drops (there are injections too but we felt she would tolerate sublingual meds better) she started improving within a couple of months. She's about 6 months in and her ears are doing so much better. Has not had a yeast infection for quite some time. I do take her in about on a monthly schedule to let the vet do a good cleaning of her ears and inbetween, I clean them at home with a gentle cleanser to help keep debris away.

I'd ask the vet about it possibly being bacterial or yeast - they would need to do a culture to find out. It certainly could lead you to the right treatments. Assuming it is not mites, of course.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Is this in the same ear where he had the polyp removed? If so, I would definitely contact the Vet who did the surgery and discuss with them. As mentioned above, it might or might not actually be mites.