Why do cats get brown mud in their ears? A cat has dark spots on its body: what to do

In this article, I want to tell you what causes black dirt in a cat's ear, what diseases it can be, and how to treat these diseases if the animal constantly itches. And most importantly, I will tell you how to avoid the appearance of any problems with the ears and hearing of your pet with the help of prevention.

Every owner of a cat or small kittens at least once, but faced with the fact that brown dirt accumulates in the ears of his pet. The reasons for this vary from the fact that the cat is dirty somewhere, to quite serious illnesses, such as otodectosis.

But even if the point is just that the cat could not wash its ears (and it is difficult for it to reach them), this does not mean that everything can be left as it is. It is urgent to remove the accumulated dirt.

You need to do this:

• Pre-wrapping the cat in a towel or blanket
• Soaking dried dirt using vaseline or vegetable oil
• Using to remove cotton swabs for babies

Never clean your ears with water.

If you find brown dirt again, then, unfortunately, we have a sign of more serious problems, which I will discuss below.

Causes and diseases of a cat from which black plaque appears

The dirt that owners find in a cat's ears is not always brown. Often its color is closer to black. The presence of a substance of this color in the ear means that, most likely, the cat is sick.

What exactly depends on the symptoms, but there are three main problems that almost every pet owner can face.

Otodectosis

First, he settles in the outer ear. Having completely populated it, the tick begins colonization of the medial and internal canals.

Determining that your cat is quite simple - brown plaque continues to accumulate even after it is removed, which is why treatment should be started immediately.

The disease has several stages, on which the method of treatment depends:

1. Initial
2. running

Each of them is characterized by its own symptoms:

• At primary phase, the mass released from the shell is dry, like the surface of the ear itself. There are no scratches.
• At launched stage, the mass becomes more viscous, the ear becomes inflamed due to the appearance of colonies of fungi and bacteria.

In the treatment of the first stage of the disease, the use of ear drops, aerosols and lotions is sufficient. And the second requires the use of antibiotics and antimycotic agents.

At any stage of the disease, before starting the procedures, it is necessary to remove the plaque and the crust formed on the surface of the ear.

The formation of sulfur plugs

If your cat belongs to a breed with an unusual ear structure, such as sphinxes, then sulfur plug is most likely the cause of the dark coating inside the ears. It's just that these cats have an increased excretion of sulfur. It accumulates, and various microorganisms develop in it.

By themselves, sulfur plugs, although they cause discomfort to the cat, are quite harmless. But they can lead to inflammation. Therefore, avoid their occurrence simply by monthly prophylactic removal of excess wax from the auricle of your pet.

The main way to treat sulfur plug at home is to instill a special lotion. As a result, it dissolves. If this still does not happen, then contact your veterinarian.

Otitis

A buildup of sulfur can be a sign of a more serious problem - otitis media. In fact, this is what they call a severe inflammation of one of the ear canals.

Otitis is divided into:

1. External
2. Medial
3. Interior

The first type of disease is the easiest to treat.

External otitis can be determined by the fact that the cat has not only a black coating in the ears, but the latter also smells bad. And she can itch a lot in the ear area.

Otitis media is often the result of untimely treatment at a previous stage of the disease.

While otitis externa can be easily treated with home remedies such as drops, this type is more difficult due to the structure of the animal's ear. It is almost impossible to do without the help of a veterinarian.

Main symptoms:

• Permanent fluid release from the ears
• squelching sounds
• cat categorically does not allow touching the sore ear
• Loses appetite
• Stench heard from a distance

The worst option is otitis media, as it can cause the cat to become deaf due to the spread of the disease to the cerebrum. The only treatment is veterinary care.

Prevention of ear diseases in animals

To prevent your pet from suffering from ear diseases, follow the simple rules of prevention: constantly clean his hearing organ.

Buy a special lotion for this, drops and cotton swabs and once a week remove dirt and wax from the ears.

Every cat owner knows that a simple, subtle dirt in the ear can be the first symptom of a serious illness. If you do not delay with treatment, then it will not be difficult. And it’s better to just do prevention and clean the cat’s ears regularly.

Seeing a black coating in the ears of a cat, the owner, as a rule, does not pay much attention to it at first. On occasion, the animal simply tries to do standard hygiene procedures by cleaning the ears with cotton swabs. However, often you have to deal not with ordinary dust and dirt, but with a rather serious disease - otodectosis, provoked by an ear mite. The causes and methods of treatment for ear scabies (second name) will be discussed below.

First of all, cats with a weakened immune system, especially when crowded, as well as kittens under the age of one year, fall into the risk zone. The disease is considered highly contagious and can be passed on to other pets, although it is quite rare.

It is impossible to see the tick with the naked eye due to its very small size. It can only be seen under a magnifying glass or microscope, taking a smear from the affected area. The insect has an average size of 0.2-0.7 mm in length, a short body of pale yellow color and elongated limbs.

Possible Complications

In the absence of treatment or insufficient therapy for otodectosis, various complications can develop. For example:

• Inflammation of the middle ear
• Meningitis
• Rupture of the tympanic septum
• Ear necrosis

Characteristic symptoms

The animal cannot say in words what exactly worries him, therefore, he shows his discomfort with various behavioral actions. In the case of ticks, this will be the following symptomatology:

• In a desire to get rid of constant itching, the cat looks for hard, stable pieces of furniture to rub his head on, or “sticks” to door frames, corners and steps.
• The combed ears ooze a liquid of dark brown and brown color. There is an unpleasant smell. The pile in the lower zone of the ear brushes sticks together.
• There is a partial or complete disappearance of hearing.
• The body temperature rises slightly.

Important: in order not to blur the clinical picture, it is undesirable to carry out any hygiene procedures before visiting the veterinarian. You should also refrain from instilling drops or applying any ointments.

Methods of treatment

• Drops. Most often, such drugs are prescribed: Tresaderm, Ivomek, Bars, Amitrazin Plus, Otoferonol Gold, Tsipam. The advantage of using Tresaderm is that the antibiotic included in it affects not only the adult tick, but also its eggs, and also fights fungi and other infectious inflammations in parallel. The drug Ivomek can be prescribed in the form of injections and pierced to the animal according to the scheme several times a month. The remaining drops from the above list tend to act on worms, if any.

Important: so that the cat does not get nervous during instillation calmly, the liquid must be slightly warmed up.

• Ointments (aerosols). Aversectin ointment shows itself well in practice, which is applied to the ear with a special spatula and is well absorbed into the skin during rubbing. A similar acaricidal effect is also exerted by Amit ointment, made on the basis of amitraz and prednisolone. Ears are disinfected twice a day for 5 days. A cotton swab is lubricated with a creamy substance, and then gently rubbed into the skin. Effective against otodectosis spray Acaromectin, sprayed on the inner surface of the ear according to the attached instructions.

A doctor may also prescribe Stronghold, Frontline or Oridermil, however, these drugs are contraindicated for use as self-medication - only on the recommendation of a veterinarian. For preventive purposes, Revolution for Cats is often prescribed - It is applied to the withers in a drip way. After absorption into the skin, the active substance acts simultaneously on ticks and fleas, if any.

Rules for the use of medicines

The sequence of actions during therapy should be as follows:

• Before dripping or applying the ointment, it is necessary to clean the ear surface from all dirt, crusts and purulent discharge. This is done with a cotton swab dipped in camphor alcohol (2%) or hydrogen peroxide. Alternatively, other disinfectant lotions designed for use on the ears can be used.
• When all the impurities are limp and “move away” from the skin, it will be easy to remove them with a cotton swab. Often the cat itself “shakes out” all the dirt from the ears with its paws.
• In order for the drug to get deep into the ear canal and be well absorbed, you need to massage the base of the ear with light movements.
• The dosage of the medicine must clearly comply with the instructions or prescriptions of the doctor.
• If another cat or other animals live in the house, it is recommended to ventilate the living quarters more often and do wet cleaning during the treatment period. In this way, the likelihood of re-infection and infection of healthy pets is reduced.

Folk remedies

If for some objective reasons a visit to the doctor is temporarily impossible, then traditional medicine comes to the rescue. Herbs and lotions are hardly capable of completely curing otodectosis, but they can alleviate the suffering of the animal until the moment before visiting the veterinary clinic.

• Green tea drops. A tablespoon of dry leaves is poured into a glass of water and infused for 5-10 minutes. After cooling to a warm state, the solution is drawn into a pipette and a few drops are instilled into each ear.
• Garlic has powerful antiseptic properties. In the case of an ear mite, it is insisted on oil for 24 hours, and then the ears are instilled with the resulting solution once a day. Olive, linseed, sunflower, almond and other oils are taken as the basis for the tincture.
• Celandine juice is instilled into the ears in the morning and in the evening, two drops in each ear. Freshly picked grass is ground in a meat grinder, and then squeezed out in gauze to prevent the remnants of leaves or stems from getting into the juice ready for use.

And the last thing you should not forget is to try to give the cat maximum attention and care in order not only to alleviate her suffering, but also speed up the recovery process.

If the owner of a feline representative of any breed knows the main symptoms of the most common ailments among them, then he will never allow the development of the disease and its advanced stage, as he will be able to show the animal to the veterinarian in time and begin the correct necessary treatment.

If you look closely at the brown coating on the ears of the animal, you will notice that its structure is similar to the thick residue left after drinking coffee. In addition, in the presence of mites, this very plaque has a very unpleasant and even quite pungent odor.

If the owner of a feline has such an opportunity, then it is best to take your pet to a veterinarian as soon as possible. But in general, you can deal with the problem on your own. To do this, you only need to purchase a special drug to combat ear mites. For example, a special therapeutic liquid "Bars" would be an excellent option. It is sold in pet stores and specialized veterinary pharmacies. In addition to the high efficiency of such a drug, its attractive cost can also be noted as an advantage.

It is best to first securely fix the animal with a thick blanket to avoid painful scratches. The ear of a cat or cat is gently twisted so that its internal cavity becomes visible, after which the brown plaque that has appeared is carefully removed from its surface with a cotton swab dipped in the purchased treatment solution. The main thing is to do it slowly and carefully so as not to hurt the animal. It is best to try to change quickly soiled cotton buds more often.

Veterinarians note that it is possible to fix the result of such cleaning with the help of boric acid. A small amount is poured into the cat's ear immediately after the procedure. The main thing is to pour the substance not into the ear canal, but precisely to those places where the foul-smelling brown plaque was previously located.

It is very important to "wield" a cotton swab only at a minimum depth. Otherwise, the owner of the animal can seriously damage the ear of his pet. For example, a damaged eardrum can cause a cat or cat to become completely deaf.

It happens that in some areas of the cat's muzzle (on the nose, ears or lips) suddenly appear dark spots brown to completely black. For many owners, this can be a serious concern. However, there is no reason to panic: this is a common occurrence that does not pose a danger to the animal. It even has a special name for it. lentigo. Dark spots are somewhat similar to freckles. In the vast majority of cases, they are not evidence of any serious disease or illness. Lentigo may appear suddenly. And just as suddenly disappear. There is no remedy for treatment. And there is no point in treatment either.

Causes

Lentigo occurs when one skin cell produces more melanin than the rest adjacent to it. This causes a darkening, making the spot different from the rest of the skin. Lentigo can appear anywhere. However, it is most commonly seen on the nose, lips, and the inside of the ears.

predisposition to lentigo

Lentigo is inherited and is more common in tabby cats. Age and sun exposure also increase the likelihood of it occurring. Lentigo practically does not occur in kittens and young cats.

Appearance

Spots with lentigo are from light brown to deep black. It can be a few small specks or vice versa large spots. The appearance and disappearance of lentigo is impossible to predict.

When to Start Worrying

If the spot becomes inflamed, swollen, or suddenly begins to grow, you need to take your pet to the veterinarian. Such changes may indicate skin cancer, and therefore require special attention. If the cat has a light pink nose, any darkening of the skin should be treated with caution and it is advisable to immediately show the pet to a specialist. Light-skinned cats are especially prone to skin diseases and pigmentation.

Now you know that your cat has dark spots, it's not as scary as it might initially seem.