Treating Ear Mites In Cats With Olive Oil
If your cat has ear mites your dog or other pets will likely have them as well.
Treating ear mites in cats with olive oil. Treating your cat s case of ear mites is a three step process. In pet shops catteries or shelters where cats live in close proximity ear mites are a common problem. The first step is to get as many tiny critters out of the ear canal as possible by cleaning the ear. Dogs generally handle the insecticide medications well but if you also own a cat that spends time grooming your dog you should know that pyrethrin can be toxic to cats.
Like baby and mineral oil olive oil works by smothering the ear mites to death due to lack of oxygen. Owners can let 2 3 garlic cloves soak in olive oil or mix garlic powder into the oil. Cats that go outdoors are very susceptible to contracting ear mites from other cats or dogs they encounter. You can use an ear cleaning solution available at pet supply stores or try almond or olive oil but clear the latter with your vet first.
Traditional medications while effective frequently use pyrethrin to kill the mites. Mineral oil is better than olive oil for treatment of ear mites in cats and dogs it can be used to clean the ear and it also kills mites. Reward your cat with gentle words or a treat so that he will associate the ear cleaning with a pleasant event. Olive oil is a great remedy for ear mites in cats.
Simply warm up the olive oil to your cat s body temperature. As part of a trial testing the efficacy of the mineral oil based compound one of the authors used 2 ml of mineral oil and 30 seconds of external massage of the base of the ear in the control cats and found that after two treatments one week apart there were no mites found in any of the control cats three weeks after the second treatment. The dirt and debris will mix with the olive oil and should dislodge. Garlic has natural medicinal properties and olive oil too contains antioxidants and anti inflammatory substances which can help to reduce the level of irritation to the skin and ear areas that the mites naturally cause.
You have to saturate the entire inside of the ear all ear hair and fur at the base of the ear with warm mineral oil and a cotton ball. Allow your cat 5 minutes of head shaking and then clean the outer part of the ear using some cotton balls or a clean towel. A pinch of garlic powder added to a teaspoon of olive oil is enough. The method of applying olive oil to your cat s untreated ears is a little different than using baby or mineral oil though.
Apply the mixture to the infected areas. It can be used alone or with other ingredients to boost its efficiency. Then you have to add 5 to 10 drops of oil directly into the ear canal. Foxes and rabbits are also carriers.
Warm the olive oil by placing a container with the oil in a bowl containing warm water. The olive oil is an efficient cleaner. Garlic and olive oil have anti inflammatory properties.