Why do cats have black ears. Brown plaque in the ears of a cat: what it may indicate. Neoplasms in the auricle

Otodektos cynotis (ear mite) - it is he who causes the disease of domestic animals (more often cats) with infectious otodectosis.

Ear mites constantly bother the cat

By the way. Precautions apply only to the "smaller brothers". It is considered unproven that ear mites in cats are transmitted to humans.

What is he, an ear mite?

Nondescript infectious organism 0.2 - 0.7 mm in size, pale yellow in color. This is the appearance of an insect when examining earwax under a microscope. Compared to the body, its limbs are quite long. However, without special optics, it is impossible to see what an ear mite looks like in cats.

This is what an ear mite looks like in cats - photo after magnification under a microscope

A dumb animal cannot complain to its owner about its misfortune, but its behavior can be more than eloquent. The fact that cats have got a tick can be determined by the symptoms:

The more we know about the symptoms of the disease, the clearer it will be how to treat ear mites in cats

Methods of healing "smaller brothers"

Drops

Attention! At complex treatment all animals in the apartment need to know that only cats react painlessly to invermectin in drops. Dogs may be intolerant to it. Small animals are not treated with this remedy. In order for the cat to behave quietly during the procedure, the instilled liquid should be slightly warmed up.

Ointments/aerosols

A remedy for ear mites in cats can also be in the form of ointments, aerosols. Aversectin ointment of acaricidal action is applied with a special spatula to the ear, absorbed with light massaging. Acaricidal effect has a creamy composition based on prednisolone and amitraz "Amit". They are treated with ears, previously applied to a swab, twice a day with a frequency of 5 days. The treatment of the auricles can be carried out by spraying the Acaromectin spray evenly over inner surface ear.

Home first aid kit for a cat: folk methods of treatment

1. Drops from ear mites can be prepared independently, using the bactericidal properties of green tea. A tablespoon of the leaves of the plant is poured with a cup of boiling water. Let it brew for 5 minutes, cool, instill with a pipette in each ear daily for a month.
2. Treatment folk remedies let him not give quickly positive result, but it is more gentle for animals. A powerful antiseptic - garlic - as a medicine, you must first insist on oil (sunflower, olive, almond) for 24 hours. And only then instill in the ears 1 time per day.
3. Celandine grass, which has occupied the surrounding plantings, should not be written off. It is enough to pick the green stems of the plant, leaves, process in a meat grinder, squeeze the juice. Instill 2 drops in each ear twice a day.
4. You can treat the inner cavity of the ears once every day with the following composition: alcohol solution iodine (1 part), mixed with glycerin or vegetable oil (4 parts). It is good to lubricate the affected inflamed areas of the skin near the ears with Konkov's ointment, chamois.

Infectious disease otodectosis in cats with ear mites can be very difficult. It is important to establish contact with the animal, "talk" with him in the same language. At the first sign of illness, an examination by a veterinarian is necessary. The sequence of treatment, compliance with the rules of hygiene, increasing the immunity of the animal will accelerate its recovery.

Many cat owners, having noticed a black coating in their ears in their pets, do not attach it special significance, and completely in vain. It may seem that this is just dirt or accumulated dust and it definitely does not bring any discomfort to the animal. In fact, it is not as harmless as it seems at first glance.

Few of the owners did not encounter a situation when they found a black coating in the ears of a cat. The reason can be very simple - the animal just got dirty and did not wash its ears. In this case, the owner needs to wrap the cat in a towel or blanket, drop a little Vaseline or vegetable oil to soak the plaque, then gently collect the dirt with a cotton swab.

Do not clean your cat's ears with water.

If after some time the cat's ears again turned out to be in a black coating, then this is nothing more than a sign of a disease that needs to be urgently treated. Most often, the danger comes from ear mites. In another way, this disease is called " ear scabies”, in which the animal experiences discomfort and can even comb its ears until it bleeds.

How to determine that it is a tick?

The danger of contracting ear mites exists even when the animal does not leave the house. A person can bring the infection into the house along with shoes or clothes. The arthropod enters the cat's ear, settles there and multiplies.

An infected cat immediately changes in behavior: it becomes apathetic, it loses interest in toys and things, even the animal is indifferent to its favorite treats. In return, the owner can get an aggressive and shy pet that does not make contact with a person and avoids touching, especially to the ears.

Particular attention should be paid to the nature of the raid. The highlights are dark Brown color, they are difficult to remove, and the substance itself smells unpleasant. In addition, traces of pus or blood may appear.

In the presence of a tick, the cat becomes restless, all the time strives to comb his ears. Sometimes he can sit with his head slightly tilted to one side.

When the disease becomes advanced, black crusts begin to fall from the cat's ears, and the treatment chronic form becomes the most difficult and costly. If you find the first signs of an ear mite, you should immediately contact your veterinarian.

What is black plaque in the ears. These photos will help you understand:

The doctor will make a scraping from the ears of the animal, conduct an analysis, identify the focus of the disease and prescribe the appropriate treatment. With the initial form of infection, you can do without ear drops, but the advanced form will require treatment with antibiotics and pain medications.

Also, during treatment, the pet must be given special food and vitamins to maintain immune system and speed up recovery.

The incubation period for ear mites is 21 days. Therefore, if other animals live in a house with an infected cat, it is better to isolate the sick pet from contact with other inhabitants, and disinfect the room well.

Ear mites in pets should be taken seriously. If a necessary measures are taken too late or they will not be at all, then the cat may completely lose his hearing.

Causes and diseases from which black plaque appears

Ear mites aren't the only culprit behind ear plaque. There are several other diseases that cat owners should pay attention to:

Otodectosis

A disease caused by a tick. Treatment may be prescribed depending on the severity of the disease. If the owner has only recently noticed the appearance of a black plaque that the cat did not have before, you can buy the necessary drops or aerosols at a veterinary pharmacy and cure the animal yourself. In the presence of obvious complications in the form of bruising, scratched ears and inflammation, only a veterinarian can provide assistance.

The formation of sulfur plugs

If the breed of the cat suggests an unusual structure of the ears (for example, sphinxes), sulfur plugs can be the number 1 problem that the owner will have to face.

Black coating in such cats is the result of excessive formation of sulfur in the ears.

It accumulates in a large volume, does not self-clean and becomes favorable environment for various microbes.

By itself, sulfur does not cause inconvenience to the pet, but the presence of bacteria can greatly overshadow the life of the cat. To prevent inflammation, it is enough to gently clean the cat's ears from at least once a month. sulfur plugs. To remove large accumulations of plaque, it is better to purchase a special lotion in a veterinary pharmacy. If the remedy does not work, contact the veterinarian immediately.

Otitis

A disease that requires a serious reaction from the owner of the cat. Otitis is external, medial and internal.

With external otitis, the symptoms are the same as with a tick - dark patina in the auricles and restless behavior of the cat, when she often scratches her ears, as if trying to remove something from there.

The next stage of the disease is medial otitis, it is more difficult to cure than external. At this stage of the disease, you need to urgently contact the veterinary clinic.

With medial otitis, symptoms such as:

• discharge of fluid from the ears;
• an unpleasant smell is felt at a distance;
• a change in the behavior of the cat, it does not allow you to touch the ears;
• refusal to eat.

the most extreme and dangerous stage diseases - otitis media. In no case should this be brought up to, tk. the cat may become deaf.

Prevention of ear diseases in animals

To protect your pet from such a misfortune as ear diseases, you need to systematically follow simple rules:

• • once every 1-2 weeks, check the pet's ears and clean them;
  • purchase a special lotion at a veterinary pharmacy (for example, "Bars"), drops and cotton swabs;
  • don't even let it go the slightest sign diseases, because any little thing can greatly affect the health and well-being of a cat;
  • be attentive to your pet, observe its habits and, in case of any suspicion, contact a specialist.

Many "cat lovers" have seen their pet scratching their ears diligently. Moreover, sometimes the animal does this with such enthusiasm that it literally tears apart the auricles to blood, and exudate of a suspicious color and smell scatters around the room. For such cases, brown plaque in the ears of a cat is also characteristic. What does this indicate?

Consider the main causes of plaque and provoking factors

In general, we have already described all the diseases accompanied by the appearance of a brown plaque, but in this chapter they need to be considered in more detail.

Otodectosis

Most typical cause plaque - namely otodectosis. Otodectes Cynotis mites live in the ear canals of cats. They especially like heat and dampness. They feed on the epithelium of dead skin, as well as blood and lymph.

The plaque left behind by these "guests" is their feces, as well as the corpses of dead individuals, chitin discarded during the growth of young individuals, as well as other waste products. In most cases, infection occurs through direct contact of a cat with sick relatives.

The disease is accompanied by the following symptoms:

• Profuse brownish deposits in the ears, increasing in volume at a shocking rate.
• The cat's ears are itching unbearably. Soon, the auricles take on a completely miserable and obscene appearance, being torn almost to shreds.
• Due to inflammatory response in the ear canals, the exudate mentioned above begins to stand out from them.

Often running cases otodectosis accompanied by purulent otitis media (due to intervention pathogenic microflora), as well as allergic reactions, the latter sometimes ending in anaphylactic shock.

Otitis

This is what is called ear inflammation. And not just the ear canal, as some breeders think. Otitis can occur in the following forms:

• Outer. Only the auricle and adjacent soft tissues are affected.
• Middle (also called medial). The ear canal is affected.
• Interior. The most severe variant associated with inflammation inner ear, eardrum, etc. It is fraught with death due to sepsis or due to brain damage.

The accumulation of plaque is accompanied by the first two forms. The internal variety proceeds so hard that the owner is not up to the raid. In addition, in both cases, the appearance of drops of exudate is almost inevitable (almost from the first days of the disease).

Often, otitis media is accompanied by the appearance of extremely bad smell emanating from the ears of a sick animal. This pathology is a frequent consequence of neglected otodectosis.

And inflammation of the ear, by the way, is often provoked not even by the mites themselves, but allergic reaction, arising as a response of the organism to the products of their vital activity.

Fungal and yeast infections of the ear

As a rule, all these pathologies “just like that” do not arise.

Fungi often infect cats that have been treated for too long or needlessly using powerful antibiotics or anti-inflammatory corticosteroids. If, against the background of this, the cat also suffers from otodectosis, the fungus in the ears is almost guaranteed to him.

A sign of the disease is both an abundant plaque and a smell. In the presence of a fungus, the “aroma” from the ears is not at all the same as with purulent otitis media or otodectosis. It is not even nasty, as it resembles the smell of mushrooms, cheese. In some cases, notes of something moldy are clearly felt in the smell.

Special cases

There are also special cases, which we have already indirectly mentioned above. It's about about certain breeds of cats which, as a result of many centuries of selection, have acquired some specific signs. In particular, the ears of sphinxes are so “original” that they have no ability for natural self-cleaning at all.

In addition, this breed has another feature: their ears produce especially a large number of sulfur. Normally, it protects the ears from pathogenic and conditionally pathogenic microflora, as well as foreign objects, but sphinxes have too much of it. And therefore, a plentiful plaque inside the hearing organs for such cats is commonplace.

If plaque is in only one ear

In cases where plaque is only in one ear, we can talk about:

Nothing good. Normally, the ears of cats, although not fragrant with lavender, still do not cause gag reflexes.

Therefore, a pungent odor can appear in the following cases:

• Fungal infections (we already wrote that the smell is very specific).
• Purulent inflammation.
• Advanced forms of otodectosis.

Treatment of a cat with pathologies of the ears

Considering all the variety of ear pathologies and their different etiologies, it is easy to understand that the treatment of a cat will directly depend on the root cause of the disease:

• Let's start with otodectosis, since it is he who occurs in almost every second cat. And there are no problems with his treatment, by the way, either. In any veterinary pharmacy you can find dozens of names of drops. Among them are:, "Dana", "Bars", Otovedin, Tsipam, Aurikan and many others. As aid you can use hydrogen peroxide 3% and a strong infusion of green tea. They are good to clean the ears before making the main medicine.

• As for otitis media, it's more complicated. The ear canal must be cleaned daily with the same peroxide, green tea or/and salicylic alcohol. AT severe cases ear rinsing with antiseptic compounds is also prescribed. Antibiotics are used to destroy pathogenic microflora a wide range actions. AT this moment it is advisable to use drugs from the group of cephalosporins.

• Worst of all is the case with fungal pathologies. For their treatment, use: Amphotericin B, Flucytosine, Econazole and Clotrimazole. Well proven special antibiotics from the griseofulvin group.

Remember! All these funds are long-term use have a bad effect on the cat's liver, but they have to be used for a long time. Therefore, various hepatoprotectors are simultaneously used.

Prevention and hygiene of the auricles

Concerning individual features, including the accelerated accumulation of sulfur in the ear canals, then in this case essential role plays prevention and hygiene of the auricles.

It is done like this:

• Check at least once every two weeks ear passages pet.
• If large accumulations of sulfur are found there, they are removed using a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide or / and sterile vegetable oil for this purpose.
• If the cat starts scratching its ears constantly, with preventive purpose apply the above drops.

If the owner of a feline 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 in time veterinarian 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. Apart from high efficiency such a drug can be noted as an advantage and its attractive cost.

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 it becomes visible. internal cavity, after which from its surface with a cotton swab dipped in the acquired medicinal solution, the brown coating that appears is carefully removed. 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 you can 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.

Even long-haired cats wash themselves with such zeal that one can only envy. They get the most inaccessible places, but not the ears - only a person can clean them.

How infection occurs

The tick is attached to the outer ear canal cat or cat and immediately begins to feed on the epidermis of the inner ear. Skin covering is broken and liquid begins to be released from the damaged areas. This dried liquid is the notorious dirt.

How to treat

Ear mite, aka otodectosis, is treated in different ways. From known methods can be identified the following ways wrestling:

• insecticidal spray, and if the ticks have moved to the body - drops on the withers;
• ear cleaner;
• drops;
• ointment.

If the choice is between drops or spray, then it is better to choose a spray. They can process not only dirty ears a cat, but also the main place of residence of the animal, for example, a box. If we talk about the choice of the drug, then preference is given to such means as:

1. Dermatosol.
2. Psoroptol.
3. Fipronil.
4. Cyodrin.

The main thing here is not to confuse the ear mite with another disease. For example, a yeast infection in the ears of a cat gives similar symptoms - dark discharge(exudate). And the incorrect use of anti-otodectosis drugs will easily worsen the situation. For this reason, if you are not sure about something, go to the vet.

Other Causes of Dirty Ears

Some breeds of cats have large ears, which are natural dust collectors. But even in an ordinary ear, over time, dust gets clogged, settling in auricle. If too much dirt accumulates, the internal protection of the animal's body comes into play. This is in increased secretion earwax and, as a consequence, the formation of a dirty mass.

In some cases, the intensity of the work of the sulfuric gland does not depend on external stimuli, so dirty ears can be found in cats that are constantly in a clean house. Most often, this phenomenon affects breeds that have no or little hair on their ears, and this is the natural protection of the animal from external influences. These ears need to be cleaned regularly.

A cat or a cat has dirty ears, what to do

What they do with the dirt is to clean it properly. The question here is how to do it correctly so as not to harm the cat or the cat. Consider step by step instructions proper brushing dirty ears in cats and cats.

The main rule - do not rush and do everything carefully. Remember - work is on an important and sensitive area of ​​​​the cat's body.

First of all, bend the cat's ear, try to twist it to the maximum, but to natural resistance. If you are using a gel or ointment, do not squeeze it into your ear. Use for this case cotton swab dipped in medicine.

There is an opinion that an animal can be torn eardrum- it is a myth. Naturally, you don’t need to push the wand all the way into the pet’s ear, a depth of one centimeter will be enough. Although care must be taken in any case, it is possible to cause pain due to clumsy handling.

The next trick in movement is to direct the movement of the wand outward. If this is not done, you can simply push the dirt even deeper into the animal's ear.

If your cat's dirty ears are to blame for a tick or other ear disease then wait with a premature "cure". In this case, before proceeding with the cleaning, the animal must be shown to the veterinarian. The diagnosis and advice of a doctor in this case is a necessity, because the effectiveness of treatment depends on proper cleaning.

Now you know why a cat has dirty ears inside and easily solve the problem of cleaning them. Moreover, all the proposed manipulations are extremely simple and accessible. They will not take you much time, and your pet will be very grateful to you.

You can also ask a question to our site staff veterinarian, who as soon as possible will answer them in the comment box below.