A long-awaited and joyful event has come true - you have a kitten. But the cute little ball is dissatisfied with something, worries and often scratches his ears. A common reason for this behavior in kittens is the presence of an ear mite.
Symptoms and causes of ear mites
Often, every second kitten purchased as a gift from a smiling aunt on the market is infected with a similar nuisance. This happens with improper care and weakened immunity in market kittens. They are forced to spend the whole day on the street in a box in a large company of the same orphans. Dealers in live goods do not care about the necessary hygiene, they do not change the box, and the kittens spend several hours among their own feces.
It happens that an ear mite starts up when dirty water gets into a kitten's ear. Carriers of the ear mite can be stray animals with which the kitten has had contact. An ear mite is not dangerous for humans.
In addition to the obvious preoccupation of the kitten with its ears, examination helps to recognize the presence of an ear mite. The ear mite itself is microscopic in size, and you can only see the products of its vital activity.
Take the kitten in your arms and gently turn the top of its ear inside out so that the insides are visible. Dirty brown lumps and flakes in your kitten's ears indicate that the ear mite is already parasitizing your pet. A neglected infection can affect the brain of cats and lead to neuroses, and in isolated cases, even to the death of the animal. Therefore, it is necessary to start treatment as soon as possible.
Treatment
For treatment, you will need rubber gloves, cotton pads and swabs, plastic bags, and a towel. You should also purchase special drops and hygienic ear lotion at your veterinary pharmacy. Cleaning the ears for cats is an unpleasant procedure. To avoid scratches, wrap the kitten in a towel as if you were swaddling a baby, leaving only the head.
Prepare everything you need and spread it out at arm's length from your intended location. Put on gloves, sit comfortably and place the kitten sideways on your lap. The light should fall from the left side. Soak a cotton pad with hygiene lotion and rub the kitten's ear thoroughly to remove any lumps and scabs. Also use cotton swabs, but never shove them inside the ear, otherwise you may damage the auricle.
Place used discs and sticks in a prepared plastic bag, which should then be thrown outside immediately to avoid re-infection. Take drops and put them into the external auditory canal of the animal in a dose of 3-5 drops. Massage the base of the auricle lightly. Repeat the same steps for the other ear.
During the procedures, talk affectionately with the kitten, as with a baby. You can even take a little bit. Your voice will help calm the kitten, making it much easier to clean the ears. For the treatment to be effective, the ears should be treated twice with an interval of 5-7 days. For preventive purposes, such procedures are repeated once every 2-3 months.
