The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Posted by Thatonechick (Orleans, Indiana) on 01/26/2010 ★★★★★
For ear mites, we were told by the vet to use half hydrogen peroxide and half rubbing alcohol, it will get rid of the mites as well as the smell in the ears.
There are two kinds of DE (Diatomaceous Earth). One is food grade and just as it says, food grade and when it is viewed under an electron microscope, you can see the razor blade sharpness of the long ago diatoms. Pool grade has been heated and is smooth and not to be used except for what it says, pool grade. The way the food grade DE works is by slicing into the breathing portals of fleas, flies, ticks, ants of any kind, termites and the list goes on. They say it is even good as a wormer when put in an animal's feed and if flies are a problem due to feces, the fly larvae can't live. I can't testify as to this but have read about it many times. I have eliminated huge red ant beds by putting maybe half a cup of food grade DE around the ant's entrance and if it rains, replace the DE. I often dust food grade DE on the shoulders and at the base of the tail for fleas during the summer and this will kill ticks if they walk though it.
Posted by Kara (Harrisonburg, VA) on 01/06/2009 ★★★★★
My Cat has suffered with ear mites forever and I have tried everything my local vet has recommended and nothing has worked. So..I recently started using a wash of boric acid & warm water swabed out with cotton ball then a few drops in each ear of sweet oil! Seems to be working so far. However, I discovered through reading everyone eles's posts that I probably should continue treatment for approximately 1 month in order to kill the mites.
I grew up with a lot of ear infections and my grandmother always treated me with a lil boric acid and in no time, I was better. My bestfriend grew up on sweet oil for ear infections; so I figured it couldn't hurt to try it.
I use about a tablespoon of warm water to an 1/4 tsp boric acid; soak a cotton ball and swab out the ear. Then I use an eye dropper and apply 4 or 5 drops of sweet oil to each ear. I usually do this every other day. The washing usually only has to be done once per treatment. Use judgement based on look of ears.
re: Feline Mite Remedies. My feline had a scary seizure type reaction from a single dose of Revolution. I will never use it again. It is not worth losing my friend over, especially when there are safer methods for prevention and eradication.
Posted by Lori (Beacon Falls, CT) on 08/10/2008 ★☆☆☆☆
WARNING!
Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) for Ear Mites: Just a warning for cat and dog lovers out there treating their pets with hydrogen peroxide in the ears:
H2O2 in an animal's (or human's, for that matter) eyes can blind them permanently. My vet told me that, and I also learned that in nursing school, but I'm not certain about the mechanism of action. I would personally try other remedies first, unless you have a very quiet and cooperative kitty.
Posted by Marie (Sacramento, California) on 05/19/2007 ★★★★★
My recently rescued male cat had ear mites so bad one ear canal was swollen nearly closed. He was delivered by a cat lover who's plate was full, but was kind enough to include an over the counter ear mite remedy. Wow that ear mite medicine made the gray skin inside his ears peel and and turn bright pink. Applying every other day was obviously going to cause sever damage in 3 weeks treatment. The long and short of this story is he arrived on Jan 4, 07 today in June 15, 07 and the problem is better but not cured. Olive oil, Vaseline, hand lotion any thing that wouldn't kill the cat and maybe smother the mites has been tried in addition to using a systemic flea/tick product. The current problem is the waxy discharge is sticky (it was bloody) and getting it out of his ears next to impossible. Thank you 4/1/2007: Lisa from Winfield, PA for suggesting Hand Sanitizer! The cat and I are very comfortable when I am treating his ears, the scratching stopped long ago, so there wasn't much danger of pouring Hand Sanitizer on an open wound. It cleaned him up better than any thing I have tried. I held him petting his favorite spots, for a few minutes until the Hand Sanitizer dried and I didn't have to worry about him getting it in his eyes or mouth. Great service you provide, bummer I didn't find you in Jan! I will send a progress report,
Posted by Just One Seabird (East Coast USA) on 07/20/2023
I know this is an old post, but it needs a response for the sake of people reading nowadays.
Zoonotic diseases are the ones that CAN be transmitted to humans, the term means "of animal origin". It's also used for diseases we can give to animals. COVID is zoonotic, we can give it to our pets.
Scabies can infest both pets and people. The mite is Sarcoptes scabei. There are variants within the species that prefer different hosts, so you have Sarcoptes scabei var. hominis in people, Sarcoptes scabei var. suis which infests pigs and is used to test human remedies for scabies, and others.
There are also other species of Sarcoptes mites. They're nasty things.
In general, it's unhelpful to tell someone with a skin condition that they are imagining it. Please google "A Filamentous Borrelial Dermatitis" using Google Scholar.
Many people suffering from Morgellons, who were told this was not a real disease and they were imagining things, actually had a Borreliosis that was not Lyme disease but was caused by a related organism. The infection caused skin sores AND interfered with normal skin collagen production so that those sores contained fibers.
So all those people had a real disease. But they were told they were imagining it, some of them were even accused of causing their own wounds, and they were given tranquilizers when they needed antibiotics. And their doctors often refused to look at any fiber samples they tried to bring to the doctor's attention.
Please do not tell people they are imagining things. Please take them seriously. All of those people had wrong diagnoses on their medical records and were labeled as needing psychiatric medications. There was nothing at all wrong with them except that they were infected with a previously unidentified species of Borrelia, and their doctors wouldn't pay proper attention to them.
Understand that sometimes if these cures do not work - it may be a yeast infection in the ear and not ear mites. We dealt with this with our dog with long ears as well as with our cats.
I have raised rabbits and dogs for over 30 years and have to deal with ear mites each summer. I have always used Campho Phenique to kill the mites and heal the ears. I even bought a rabbit once with ear mites so bad the entire ear was nothing but a red inflamed mass of scabs. I pour in a few drops of campho Phenique and massage the base of the ear to get it in and repeat for 2 days on a really bad case and just once for a mild case. Try it, you will be amazed how well it works.
Posted by S.F.Hyde (Deridder, La.) on 07/01/2018 ★★★★★
IVOMEC is awesome stuff! For EARMITES, two to four drops in the ear canal, gently massaged in for good coverage. Wait a week, gently clean the ear. Any brown stuff should be considered ear mite waste and may be full of viable eggs, so be prepared. Have a folded paper towel or a zip lock waiting to catch the used Q-tips or whatever. After cleaning, reapply IVOMEC same as before. Wait a week & clean. Was there any brown stuff in the ear canal? Yes? Treat again. No? Your probly clear, but should treat one more time to be confident any hatchlings get killed. Check ear canals weekly for six weeks for any signs of the "Tell Tale" brown waste. Always check your pets ears at least monthly, even if they are not acting distressed. Why make them suffer when we can prevent it?
Boric acid, it's not dangerous I used it for eye wash whenever you get a fungal infection in your eye the reason it works for cockroaches is it dehydrates it's outside skeleton then anything else it will kill it. Just because it has acid in its name it is not dangerous. For instance it could also be used on baby blankets, babies pajamas as it makes it fire retardant. In a new Foster I'm using boric acid and peroxide carefully with an eyedropper to get rid of the infection and then I'm going to be using it oil to break down the wax sand to smother the mites.
It's the peroxide that can blind a cat if too much gets into this it's just like the peroxide washes for contacts if you don't give it to 12 hours to break down it burns your eyes like crazy.
Posted by Melissa (Saskatchewan) on 01/02/2016 ★★★★★
If you have noticed the common remedy amongst most of the posters is an oil. It smoothers and kills the mites. Clean the ears with vet solution (it's alcohol based so it dries up) and apply a drop of warm baby oil and lightly message the cats ears. Repeat till ears are clean and no more scratching.
I've treated ear mites in many rescued dogs over the years using neem oil added to garlic oil. Done daily, it will kill the mites rather quickly and there's no harm at all to the dog. Anything put in their ears gets out when they shake their head but you want the oil left in to kill the mites. Treat for a full 10 days to be sure nothing survives.
Posted by Om (Hope, Bc Canada) on 02/03/2015 ★★★★★
Lanissa -- I always had lots of cats and deals with ear mites. You did the right thing but long term untreated, ear mites can cause bleeding.
With my cats I use neem oil after cleaning the outer ear. Then repeat every three days or so. Because neem oil interrupts the productive cycle of these mites, there is noticeable improvement. I keep checking though. Kittens need the neem oil diluted with another oil because of their delicate skins. Coconut oil is also good for sensitive ears with a touch of turmeric powder if bleeding. Turmeric stops bleeding internally and externally.
For the bleeding I use turmeric powder in small amounts as it also is a natural antibiotic. For fluid in the ear I use turmeric powder and alum in 1 - 20 ratio to dry out the ear, later following up with coconut oil. This will prevent inflammation and provide cooling for red hot ears. Hope this helps.
Posted by Cleo14 (Wisconsin, US) on 12/11/2014 ★★★★☆
So my almost 3 month old kitten has ear mites. I first started out with R-7m not knowing about natural treatments. read on Amazon mostly good comments. I used it for 3 days hardly worked and nearly poisoned my kitten even tho used as directed. I researched more and saw mineral oils works wonders! Just a day after cleaning her ears with mineral oil it has loosened up the black gunk in her ears. Yesterday I could hardly see down her one ear canal now today is way better! Just after a day her ears are that much better and she is shaking her head less that I can tell so far! Will keep using it! Now I know that it is safe to use and she won't die from the poison of R-7m that mineral oil is great so far!
Kathryn, for over 40 years, I have always used olive oil, just a couple of drops inside ear and then massage ear to work it down and it has always worked with a return very rarely.
The wonderful Theresa from Minneapolis, MN has been helping pet owners and their beloved pets around the world on Earth Clinic since 2013.
About Theresa
Theresa from Minneapolis was born and raised in the inner city, always wishing she had been raised on a farm.
Her love for creatures great and small began at an early age, starting with caterpillars - which continues to this day, along with an interest in all insects and 'creepy crawlies'.
Theresa's interest in pet health started with a bird keeping hobby at age 14, where she learned from another hobbyist that the simple addition of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in a bird's drinking water kept fungal infections away; she was able to share this with her avian vet who in turn prescribed it to her own clients; Theresa was surprised to learn that she could teach her vet a thing or two. This important lesson - that each of us can be a teacher - was a turning point for Theresa, and fueled her quest for the knowledge held in lore, and remedies passed by word of mouth. That quest for knowledge continues to this day, as new and old remedies alike are explored. She may not have experience with a particular issue, but she will research it to the best of her ability and share what she finds freely, in the hopes that you can heal or improve your pet's health.
-----------------------------
How To Show Theresa Your Appreciation
If you would like to thank Theresa for her helpful posts, she asks if you would please consider making a donation to one of her favorite local rescue organizations, or by making a donation to help the genius contributor, Ted from Bangkok, recover from his stroke.
You are replying to a post that is 2 years old, so the original poster may not be around to respond to you - so I will give it a shot!
It appears the hand-sanitizer remedy is used once a day for two days.
A couple of caveats, however.
This remedy should not be used on ears that have been scratched raw as the alcohol in the hand-sanitizer will cause painful burning and stinging.
Next, you should be certain that your pet has ear mites and not another ear condition as the wrong diagnosis will result in a painful ear condition prolonged and untreated.
And lastly, all the pets [hosts! ] in the family need to be treated at the same time. If all pets were not treated, begin again this time including all pets in the protocol. If all pets are not treated, they will simply re-infect each other.
Posted by Lori O'malley ( Pulaski Tn) on 05/19/2015 ★★★★★
I used hand sanitizer on my dog for ear mites. It worked fabulously!! Didn't know if it would work on cats. We have acquired two kittens with mites. Thanks so much for all the posts on this subject. I will now feel comfortable using sanitizer with the kittens. Thanks ya'll!!
Posted by Sunny (Centerville, Iowa) on 06/04/2010 ★★★★☆
My dog has ear mites he caught from an infected cat. I'm an ER RN and we treated wax build-up with a name brand laxative drops... waited for the wax to soften, then used warm H2O to rinse. So I have started tonight with Castor Oil in the ears, and tomorrow will use H2O2 with the Castor Oil. I used the Castor Oil a week ago 3-4 days, and he was feeling so much better that I slacked off. I clearly didn't understand the little beasts would be so hard to get rid of, until reading some of the horror tales on here. I used the Oil an hour ago and the dog is sleeping. Anyone tried Castor Oil ? The oil should smother the mites, loosen the wax, and the H2O2 will help work wax and ear mites out. My main concern is not to cause harm. I think this treatment will be more successful than some I've read about.
I'm a retired vet and believe strongly in both home remedies and vets. Why it is a good idea to have your animal checked out regularly by a veterinarian, most are very expensive and give worthless tests. When I was ten my horse, Toyota, caught colic and we tried (my Mother and I) peppermint tea. It cleared right up. The vet even said not to but we did and it worked. Also for ear mites in dogs or cats, try warm water and a Q-tip. Be careful not to push grid into the ear canal. Put the Q-tip at the base of the ear and gently swipe it up. Do this until it is clean. If your animal's ear stinks, it may have a infection and should be checked out your vet.
I have used mineral oil with success, also Olive Oil with some Vitamin E has healing qualities, equal amounts of each. This is safe and an inexpensive way to help your pet.
I have read it takes about a month to rid a pet of these horrible bugs and I used this oil every day, 3 times a day for one month.
Posted by Shellisha (San Jose, Ca, Usa) on 10/26/2009
WARNING!!!!!! You should never use garlic oil or any kind of product containing garlic on your cat. Garlic is toxic to cats!!!!!! Many other types of oils can be used! Please use an acceptable substitute like olive oil, vegetable oil or almond oil.
Posted by Jenny (Augusta, Georgia) on 11/13/2008 ★★★★★
we were very worried about our kitty, mint greene. she had been scratching her ears constantly. i dipped a cotton swab in mineral oil, rubbed it on the outer ear (not the ear canal) and she hasn't scratched since!! YAY!! tomorrow i will do this again, and massage some into her ear canal as well. if this works for mint then the other four cats, and three dogs will be next!! i am so glad i found your website. it has been a very big help.
I always used mineral oil for any animal that I have had for ear mites. Just use an eye dropper and put about 5 or 6 small drops in each ear. Check the ears each day. As long as you keep seeing the blackish or dark color,looking like the ears are dirty then keep doing it until that goes away. The mineral oil will suffocate the ear mites.This has always worked for me. Good luck. Hope the cat gets better soon.
Posted by Deborah (Half Moon Bay, CA, U,S,A,) on 11/08/2008 ★★★★★
Regarding the topic of ear mites, and, itchy ears in kitties.. I found with my older cat who was scratching his ears naked, that the tufts of fur on the inside of his ears was the culprit. Once I trimmed the 'old man hair ears' he stopped scratching. Whenever it was time to trim, he came and sat patiently while I carefully trimmed the hairs, (being careful to not let the hair fall into the ear canal). Happy kitty, with no more scratching or neeked ears! Worth a looksie!
Posted by Om (Hope, Bc, Canada) on 12/30/2012 ★★★★★
thank you, thank you. Of all the remedies listed, neem oil will not poison or kill a cat. A few years ago the gov't here issued a warning about Borax. It is not as harmless as thought of generally. Most vets' medicines are prohibitively expensive, harmful or outright poisons. If health is a business, let the buyer beware. However, I would see a vet just to determine if the cat has also an ear infection. Antibiotics have long term damaging effect on the body and some cats do not recover well at all. Warm the neem oil and clean the outside daily, applying every three days for a month. I have many rescue cats and some dogs, believe me, simple, harmless natural remedies are , in the end best and not draining on limited resources plus no pain and stress on the animal. Thanks again. Om
i would love to have the chart. i tried almost everything on my dog but is taking a long time. i clean his ears with mineral oil and yes it leaves the ears so clean.
D.E. is NOT GLASS! Diatoms are actually made up of mostly calcium and other minerals and are the food grade is safe for humans and animals internally as well as externally.
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