ear mites

[izabelle24]

does anyone know how i would know if bella had ear mites.

[karlyb]

You would see dark brown gunk in her ears (or maybe only one ear). You can get stuff at the pet store for treatment or from the vet. You put the drops in her ears and gently clean the ears with cotton swabs. My cat doesn't like the liquid, shakes her head, and sprays it all over me and the bathroom. Bella probably won't like the q-tips very much either, but ear mites are nasty and need to be treated.

[moosmom]

Earmites will show up when you clean your cat's ears as brown dirt. The dirt can also be a yeast infection. The only way to tell the difference is to smell your cat's ears. If there is an "odor" then it's a yeast infection.

MooShoo (my hairless cat) gets yeast infections every once in a while because he has no fur to prevent the dirt from getting into his ears. I have a lotion called Conofite which gets rid of it.

Earmites can be treated with Mita Clear or any number of liquids at the vet. You can also put Revolution on your cat. It's a topical liquid that you apply directly to the skin between the shoulder blades. It takes care of earmites, fleas, flea eggs and ticks.