Fact or Fiction: Transmission of an ear mite from a cat to a human. Topical tips on how to treat ear mites in a cat Do ear mites pass from cats to people

Ear mite or otodectosis is a fairly common disease not only among stray cats, but also widely found among pets. And the manifestation of this disease should not be taken lightly. The consequences of neglected painful damage to the cat's body by ticks can be very serious.

Every cat owner should have a clear understanding of the disease picture and know what to do if a tick is found in their pet. You should also know what an ear mite looks like.

Where does it come from - causes

The question “where does the ear mite come from in cats” most often worries pet owners, who, at times, never even go outside. The causes of otodectosis can be not only direct contact with stray animals, but also indirect ways of transmitting the disease.

Homeless animals still occupy the leading positions as a source of infection. They account for about 80 percent of the total number of infections. The anatomical structure of the auricle of a cat is an additional risk factor for the occurrence of this disease. The owner of the cat can also become a carrier of ear mites on clothes, shoes, and even on hands.
In a kitten, ear mites can occur as a result of infection from the mother.

Ear mites in cats: signs and symptoms

You can see the picture of the disease of the ear mite in the photo. Click to enlarge.

The greatest percentage of tick damage occurs in kittens aged 1 to 6 months and in aged or weakened cats.

The main symptoms of the disease are as follows:

The animal often shakes its head, and a rattling sound can be heard.
Black wax forms in the ears, which can lead to stone-like plugs.
When a cat shakes its head, liquid drops may squirt out of its ears.
Bleeding scratches form in the auricle and around it.
As a result of the expiration of pus from the ears, the hair around the ear can stick together.
High body temperature.
Nervous attacks.
Constant desire of the cat to scratch the affected ear.
Nervous, restless behavior, sometimes even aggression from the cat.
Bad smell from the ears.

The listed signs may be supplemented by an atypical tilt of the head with the affected ear lowered down. If you have these symptoms, you should consult a doctor to decide how to treat your pet.

Why are ear mites dangerous in cats?

The consequence of a neglected ear mite lesion in cats can be the development of a serious inflammatory process, resulting in a rupture of the eardrum and hearing loss.

In severe cases, the mite can enter the inner ear and damage the lining of the brain. Evidence of a far-reaching process is systematic seizures resembling epileptic ones. These symptoms can lead to death and the inevitable death of a pet.

Are ear mites dangerous to humans?

The question of whether an ear mite is transmitted to a person and whether it is possible to get it from pets has an ambiguous answer. The risk of otodectosis for a person is a small percentage.

It is scientifically confirmed that a dangerous disease is not transmitted to humans. Still, some experts recommend caution when dealing with a sick pet. Perhaps the development of otitis media in immunocompromised people when caring for an infected animal without observing safety measures.

Treatment of ear mites in cats

Ridding a pet of an ear mite at the beginning of the disease is not difficult. If you find symptoms that indicate a possible infection of the pet, you should immediately consult a doctor. It is impossible to independently diagnose and treat a pet! Why?! Because this can aggravate the situation and waste time, and in the meantime, the disease can move to the next stage.

Only a doctor determines how to treat otodectosis, taking into account the stage of the disease, the age of the animal, its state of health, and the presence of pregnancy in cats.

With the help of special preparations, ear diseases are treated with great success. A prerequisite before processing the auricles is their cleaning.

You need to do this as follows:

A cotton pad or cotton swab is wetted in one of the means - in chlorhexidine or 2% hydrogen peroxide solution, or in camphor alcohol
Cleaning the ears
Then apply the amount of ointment indicated by the doctor or instill the required number of drops.
The auricle is gently massaged at the base to evenly distribute the product.

Medical preparations

For the treatment of ear mites, medicines in the form of sprays, powders, ointments, solutions, as well as injections will be used.

At the initial stage appoint:

"Amit"
"Acromectin"
"Amitrazin",
"Tactician"

Special preparations in the form of sprays, such as Cyodrin, Acrodex, Dermatosol, can simply be sprayed on the area at the will of the affected ear, approximately at a distance of 5-5.5 cm from it.

To reduce the manifestation of itching and relieve inflammation, drops "Otonazol" are prescribed. Ointments with sulfur compounds can be called effective - Sulfur ointment, Vishnevsky ointment.

At advanced stages of the disease, Otodectin is used.

Folk remedies for ear mites in cats

Folk remedies are used purely at the initial stage.

At homeThe following folk remedies for ear mites in cats are successfully used:

Brewing green tea. Bury in the ears several times a day.
A mixture of ½ clove of garlic and 2 tablespoons of almond oil, insist for a day, and after filtering through gauze, lubricate the ears with it daily 1 time per day. Owner reviews testify to the effectiveness of using pure almond oil, without the addition of garlic.

How long does it take to treat ear mites in cats?

It is possible to quickly cure a cat affected by an ear mite only if the disease is detected in the early stages. When the process is running, you will have to fight for a long time. It will be necessary to conduct a full course of treatment, which can be from 7 to 10 days. The treatment process, in order to completely remove ticks, cannot be stopped before the specified period.

After a successful course of treatment, the black content in the ears disappears. In this case, the black plaque changes its color to brown.

Prevention of ear mites in cats

Prevention of infection with an ear mite is to exclude contact of a pet with street animals. An ear mite in a cat can be the result of other factors. It is necessary to examine the cat every time after a visit to the clinic, mating in a strange house, walking on the street. You should exclude the use of items from other animals and carefully monitor the hygiene and health of the pet. The cat should not be allowed to rub against street shoes or clothes. It is necessary to carry out mandatory wet cleaning in the house with special means against ticks.

Video with advice from a veterinarian:

With careful attention to the problem of infection with ear mites, you can achieve a positive result and save the animal from a serious illness. Timely and high-quality treatment will restore health to your pet and leave no chance for ticks.

Otodectosis is a very unpleasant disease caused by the appearance of an ear mite in an animal. It happens quite often in pets, mainly in cats and dogs. Other animals also get sick - for example, foxes and other fur-bearing animals. The question of whether ear mites in cats are dangerous for humans worries many owners who are faced with an illness in their pet.

It is unlikely that a person will be able to see this insect with the naked eye, but it is quite easy to notice the signs of its vital activity.

First of all, the disease affects small kittens, which can become infected from a cat, and young animals in the first year of life are also more prone to it. But a tick may also appear in adults.

If several animals live in the house, then the appearance of otodectosis in one of them carries the risk of infection for the rest, so you need to carefully examine the ears of all pets.

At first, when a dark coating appears in the cat's ear - brownish crusts and crumbs, a person can miss the onset of the disease, mistaking it for ordinary dirt. At the same time, if you clean it, the crusts will soon appear again. This suggests that it is time to sound the alarm and start treating the animal.

Signs by which otodectosis can be tracked:

The inner part of the cat's ear turns red, becomes dirty, crusts and remnants of the vital activity of ticks appear, similar to ground coffee crumbs.
The cat is worried, shakes his head, severe itching makes him often comb his ears.
Bad smell from the ears.
The temperature may rise.
If the onset of the disease is missed, in the advanced stage the ear begins to get wet, gurgling sounds appear in it, there may be purulent discharge.

Ear mites in cats are dangerous because if the disease is not treated, it can give a large number of complications: secondary infections from scratching, fungi. Toxins that ticks release weaken the animal's body and harm its health.

If inflammation sets in, it can affect the middle and inner ear, lead to deafness, or even cause inflammation of the meninges, which is already fraught with death.

Such complications occur quite rarely, mostly in debilitated animals, but, nevertheless, it is necessary to take measures.

Diagnosis and treatment

If the cat shows signs of otodectosis, it should be taken to the veterinarian. He will take a scraping, establish the correct diagnosis and prescribe treatment.

Usually it is not difficult to treat otodectosis - these will be procedures for cleaning the auricle and instillation of special drops. Antihistamines and special ointments will help relieve irritation and redness from scratching.

If, in addition to the tick itself, there is a fungal or bacterial infection, then additional antibacterial and antifungal drugs will be prescribed.

Can a person get infected from an animal

It is not difficult to understand the owners’ anxiety about whether ear mites pass to a person, because among animal diseases there are those that are transmitted to people, so in a completely natural way you want to protect yourself and loved ones, especially children, from danger.

In the world, not a single case has been recorded associated with the fact that ear mites in cats are transmitted to humans. However, a cat tick can still deliver some health problems. First of all, it can cause an allergy in a person who has a predisposition to it.

Prevention of otodectosis

In order to prevent infection, it is enough for a person to follow simple rules:

Regularly inspect the pet's ears, if suspicious signs appear, show the cat to the doctor.
Protect pets from contact with homeless individuals, if a person has been in contact with a suspicious animal, wash hands, wash clothes and wash shoes upon arrival home.
Regularly disinfect bedding, do not use other people's hygiene items.

Otodectosis is a common skin disease among street and domestic animals that affects the auricles. The good news is that ear mites in cats are almost always easy to detect and treat. If your pet comes into contact with other animals or walks outside, there is a risk of infection.

Ignoring the disease leads to a deterioration in the general condition, which can have unpleasant complications for the animal. In addition, many owners are concerned about whether ear mites in cats are dangerous for humans and other animals, what is the likelihood of infection and how to protect the family from a possible illness.

It's important to know! Ear mites are not easy to bite, they are introduced into the skin of the carrier with their paws and proboscis. They feed on lymph, skin and intercellular tissue, secrete waste products that are toxic in large volumes.

Note! There are more than 850 species of ticks that infect domestic animals on the planet, but within the framework of this topic, Otodectes cynotis and Notoedres will be discussed, as the most frequent "guests" in the ears of pets.

Read also: The main infectious diseases in cats, their symptoms, diagnosis and treatment

Both diseases have similar symptoms - itching and restlessness, affects both ears, and is transmitted by contact to other cats, dogs and other animals. However, there are a number of important differences that are extremely important for diagnosis and subsequent treatment:

Domestic cats have partially lost the “invulnerability” given to them by nature, the situation worsened when breeders, breeding new breeds, set to work due to gene mutation. Unnatural nutrition and progressive veterinary medicine were added to the constant "breeding" work, allowing individuals "hopeless for nature" to survive. No matter how cruel it may sound, but the causes of almost all diseases atypical for animals lie in human intervention in natural selection.

Read also: Ligament rupture in a cat: we understand the types and causes

Diagnosis of ear mites in cats

With a typical form of otodectosis, self-confirmation of the diagnosis is allowed. The disease proceeds in several stages:

Primary infection- grains or stains of a dirty brown color are observed in the ear folds.

acute form- the auricle is abundantly smeared with brown "slurry", the consistency is most often wet with fragments of earwax. When the animal scratches the ear, a characteristic "chomping" sound is heard. If you run a finger or a cotton swab along the inner surface of the ear, a reaction of the hind legs is observed - a tremor, an imitation of scratching. A similar reaction to stroking from the outside indicates sarcoptic mange (subcutaneous tick) or notoedrosis.

Complicated form- there is pus, blood or black-green blotches in the ear. Touching causes pain, the animal shakes its head. This degree of damage is most often accompanied by secondary symptoms - nasal discharge, tearfulness, severe scratching of the head.

In terms of general information, it is worth knowing how dangerous ear mites are in cats:

Epidemiological distribution - the carrier infects all animals with which it comes into contact.

Scratches, self-injury, up to hematomas and craniocerebral injuries.

The spread of the lesion to other parts of the body (tail, croup, neck), if the cat likes to sleep in a "ball".

Inflammation of the lymph nodes, as a result of a decrease in the level of the body's immune defenses.

In complicated forms - deafness, CNS disorder, inflammation of the mucous membranes of the eyes and nose, spillage of pus in the soft tissues of the head.

Let's figure out how to determine the presence of ear mites in a pet. You will need: a cotton swab, a sheet of black paper, a bright light, if you have vision problems, a magnifying glass. Algorithm:

We open the ear of the animal, take a cotton swab and in one movement we capture the maximum possible amount of plaque (slurry).

Hold a cotton swab over a sheet of paper and gently tap the plastic base with your finger.

We put the stick nearby, and carefully look at the sheet. You are interested in a white dot, 2-3 times smaller than a grain of semolina. The point was found, lay in place, and then began to move - bingo! It's an ear mite!

We fold the sheet and throw it away, and we ourselves go to the pet store or to the veterinarian for advice.

Some people think that only pets are susceptible to ear mites. But, unfortunately, this is not the case: ear mites can also occur in humans, causing a lot of discomfort and problems.

The ear mite is a carrier of infectious diseases. This creature is small in size (from 0.2 to 0.75 millimeters), which visible to the human eye without the use of magnifiers(microscope, loupe).

Ear mites reproduce within four days of an adult laying eggs. Then there is a molt, and they turn into larvae that feed on earwax and oil secreted by the skin.

After one week, the second cycle of development ends, and the third period begins, when the larva turns into a sexually mature individual. By this stage, the mites are almost ready to mate and reproduce. The life span of an adult is usually two months.

Methods of human infection

Many are haunted by the question: can a person become infected from a pet (cat, dog)?

Why are ear mites dangerous?

The danger of ear mites is that a person with a weak immune system may develop:

allergic reactions;
otitis;
dermatosis;
rashes appear, delivering not only discomfort, but also forming blisters (after healing, scars).

Symptoms of an ear mite infection

In order to see a doctor in time and start treatment, you need to know the symptoms of an ear mite infection. The first sign of a tick entering the ear is severe itching, which causes discomfort and sometimes leads to scratching the skin of the auricle to blood.

Other symptoms are expressed in:

pain (due to the absorption of nutrients);
redness;
puffiness;
sensation of a foreign body caused by the movement of a tick in the ear;
the appearance of purulent formations (in the case of an advanced form of infection due to the introduction of bacterial infections).

Ticks can crawl deep into the ear canal in search of food, having a detrimental effect on the human hearing aid. Paying attention to these signs of an ear mite, immediately seek help from a qualified doctor (otolaryngologist).

Diagnostics

Diagnosis must be carried out in a specialized clinic to exclude otitis media, as it is similar in signs to scabies. If you do not have the opportunity to do this, you can use the following methods to identify the diagnosis:

Take a scraping of wax from the ear, and examine it under a magnifying glass for the presence or absence of a tick.
If you notice damaged (in the wounds, visibly reddened) skin inside the ear, then this is a sign of infection.

Ear Mite Treatment

Ear mites should be treated with medicines only after the doctor prescribes the appropriate drugs. As a rule, the medicine "Gammavit" or "Multivit" is prescribed for prevention (to strengthen immunity).

It is also necessary to treat both ears with acaricidal and antibacterial drugs, regardless of which one is affected. For treatment, you can use drops from ear mites in the form of saline (sodium chloride).

Folk methods

Consider how to cure ear mites with folk remedies. Before proceeding with the treatment of a folk invention, it is necessary to seek the advice of a doctor in order to eliminate the risk of consequences and prevent the disease from developing into a severe form.

Let's get acquainted with the main means of traditional medicine:

camphor oil (lubricate the affected area with a cotton swab, thereby stopping the oxygen supply for ticks);
lemon juice (squeeze lemon juice, add 2 milliliters of alcohol and 4 grams of salt. Treat the ears with the resulting mixture for ten minutes. Then rinse with warm water. The procedure must be carried out until the disease is completely eliminated);
birch tar and sulfur (mix the two components in equal proportions and boil, it is recommended to apply the resulting ointment at night to get a more effective effect for 1-2 months).

An animal can become infected with cat ear mites in the following ways:

It is not difficult to notice that an animal has become infected with a tick, since this disease has pronounced symptoms:

Ear scabies of cats is treated according to the scheme prescribed by the veterinarian, with the help of special preparations in the form of ointments, drops, aerosols, powders and sprays. For the treatment of pets, people also use folk remedies.

For example, a few drops of warm sunflower oil are dripped into the affected ear with a pipette, and such actions are repeated until the symptoms disappear. In this case, it is better not to risk the health of the pet and seek qualified help.

At the moment, most experts say that cat ear mites are not transmitted to humans. But in some information sources there are references to human infection with a cat ear mite, which manifests itself as otitis externa.

In any case, a sick pet is a source of infection that can be dangerous to human health. Presumably, it is the cat's ear mite that can cause allergies in humans. Symptoms of a tick allergy are manifested in the form of itching, redness of the skin, swelling and coughing. Therefore, if a person has allergic reactions at a time when a domestic cat is sick with ear scabies, an urgent need to consult a doctor and immediately begin treating the pet.

In order to avoid such a reaction of the body, it is necessary to follow the rules of personal hygiene and hygiene of the cat, carry out wet cleaning using disinfectants, process all things where the sick animal was, and, of course, have less contact with the infected cat until the pet recovers.

Prevention

Compliance with these simple rules can protect your pet from infection with ear mites. Based on the foregoing, it can be noted that the risk of human infection with a cat ear mite is minimal, but this disease can lead to unpleasant health consequences not only for the animal, but also for its owners, due to the possibility of allergic reactions and violations of sanitary conditions in living quarters as a result of a cat's illness.