How to Treat Ear Mites in Cats With Mineral Oil

Ear mites can be a big problem for little animals--after attacking the inner ear, they can cause an infection and cause some very strange behavior in your cat, such as spinning in circles, loss of balance, and continued scratching of their ears. But you can help treat ear mites at home, without expensive veterinary medicine, with a little mineral oil.

Things You'll Need

  • Mineral oil
  • Eye dropper/ear syringe
  • Cotton balls
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Instructions

    • 1

      Check your cat for signs of ear mites--this can be either visual signs or behavioral signs. You might see grayish and black spots in your cat's ear, and your cat may be shaking its head or persistently scratching its ears.

    • 2

      Apply mineral oil with either an eye dropper or ear syringe into the cat's ear. Mineral oil can kill ear mites and smother them, and it can also help dissolve ear wax in the cat's ears and help clean out the ear canals.

    • 3

      Massage your cat's ears with your fingers after applying the mineral oil. Use your thumb and finger to fold over their ear and massage the mineral oil into their ear. They will love the attention, and it helps to get the mineral oil throughout the ear canal and into crevasses in their ears, resulting in a good, thorough application.

    • 4

      Use a cotton ball to wipe out any excess oil or dead ear mites from the ear. Do this several times a day to check on the ear and to ensure that your cat does not get dead mites, mineral oil and wax on the surfaces it lays upon.