SimplyCats Vet Clinic Blog

What are Ear Mites?

Ear mites (Otodectes cynotis) are a tiny spider like parasitic mite that infect the ears. They usually live in the ear canals but can live on other parts of the cat’s body.

This is by far the most common ear disease of cats and is extremely widespread no matter how well looked after the cats are.

If you look inside the ear of an infected cat you will see dark reddish brown or black debris throughout the ear canal. This debris comprises of ear wax, blood and ear mites are visible to the naked eye and can be seen as white dots among the dark debris. You may even see them moving around.

The life cycle, which takes about 3 weeks, occurs in the ear, from egg laying to death of adults. Mites are believed to live off the host only a fairly short time (10-20 days).

What are the Symptoms of Ear Mites in cats?

Ear mites are terribly uncomfortable for your cat. Imagine how it would feel having thousands of little bugs running around in one of your most sensitive areas. Usually the first symptom you notice will be your cat scratching his ears or shaking his head due to the extreme itchiness that the mites cause.

You may notice that your cat’s ears appeared flattened or laid back. The ears may be painful to touch and he may cry in pain when you touch them or while he/she is scratching them. You may also notice a foul odour coming from the ears.

Cats may cause damage to their ears by scratching them. Often their ears will bleed as a result of this. They may also shake their ears with such intensity that small blood vessels are broken and hematomas form.

Ear mites thrive in the warm moist area where the air flow is restricted. They feed on epidermal debris & ear wax. They burrow into the ear, causing inflammation and irritation which the body responds to by producing more wax.

Are Ear Mites Contagious?

Ear mites are very contagious and can be passed on from cat to cat or cat to dog and visa versa so it is important to treat all of your pets at the same time.

All cats in a household should be treated as the mite is very contagious.

Humans are not affected by ear mites.

Otodectes is a particularly difficult mite to kill. If left untreated, complications may occur eg. secondary infection with pus-producing germs, haematoma due to scratching or chronic thickening of the ear lining.

Effective treatment must aim at killing and/or removing every mite and returning the lining of the ear to normal.

The vet will look in your cat’s ear with a magnifying instrument called an otoscope and may inspect the debris from the ear under a microscope for a more definite diagnosis. Ear mite infections can be serious if left untreated resulting in damage to the ear canals and eardrums and leaving deformity of the ears and possible deafness.

Ear Mites in Cat's ear

Ear Mite

Claire

Kidney failure is one of the most common health problems suffered by cats, particularly as they grow older.

There are two types of kidney disease:

Chronic renal failure

Chronic renal failure can occur in cats of any age, but is most commonly seen in middle to old-aged cats, and it becomes increasingly common with age. It has been estimated that around one in five cats over 15 years of age has renal failure. In general, chronic renal failure is seen about three times more frequently in cats than it is in dogs.

Acute kidney disease

This refers to sudden damage to the kidneys and is usually as a result of trauma, posioning, infection or blockages caused by lower urinary tract disease. Signs are often sudden and severe and unless immediate treament is sought, the condition can rapidly become fatal. Unfortunately acute kidney disease may often lead to chronic kidney disease.

 What do the kidneys do?

 The kidneys are vital organs that filter excess fluid and waste products from the body. Blood flows through the kidneys where filtering units called nephrons remove or conserve water, minerals and electrolytes from the body, keeping them in balance. The extra fluids and harmful waste products that the kidneys filter out of the blood are eliminated in the urine. The kidneys have additional important functions including the production of certain hormones and regulating blood pressure. So when a cat’s kidneys are diseased and not functioning properly, it has a great impact on overall health and well-being.

Kidney disease in cats

Kidney (renal) disease in cats is normally a gradual process that results in irreversible damage to the kidneys over time. The decrease in healthy, functioning kidney tissue leads to the loss of water and important substances the body needs, and causes accumulation of toxins and excess minerals that the body would normally get rid of.

Causes of kidney disease

Kidney disease may be brought on by underlying causes, such as:

•Metabolic and immune disorders
•Genetic disease
•Infections or chronic inflammation
•Cancer

Regardless of the underlying cause, kidney disease tends to progress, or worsen over time, and leads to the build up of harmful waste products in the body and an imbalance of minerals, such as phosphorus.

When the kidneys do not function properly, phosphorus is not eliminated as it normally would be, resulting in increased phosphorus levels in the body. Increased phosphorus levels in the body can lead to mineral deposits in the kidneys and other organs and worsen the kidney disease. The control of phosphorus is one of the most critical factors in the ongoing management of kidney disease, helping protect the kidneys and other organs from further damage.

Symptoms of kidney disease

The signs of kidney disease are often non-specific and subtle, especially early in the disease. These symptoms are generally related to the under-functioning kidneys’ ability perform important functions such as eliminating waste products and maintaining water and mineral balance.

Cats often become dehydrated and lose weight because they lose their appetite. Changes as subtle as a drop in weight since the last visit to the vets or your cat making more trips to the water bowl or litter box may be the only initial signs of an underlying problem.
Typical symptoms of kidney disease in cats may include:

•Reduced appetite
•Increased thirst/urination
•Sleeping more
•Decreased activity
•Weight loss

Some cats may suddenly appear to become ill but have had kidney disease for some time, showing few or very subtle signs of a problem. This is why it’s so important to have your older cat regularly evaluated for normal kidney function.
Because of the tremendous reserve of the kidneys cats will not show outward signs of disease until 75% or more of the kidney function is lost

 How is kidney disease diagnosed?

Kidney disease can be diagnosed through examination and testing by your vet.

To diagnosis kidney disease, urine and blood samples are taken for laboratory testing. These tests will identify if there are problems with the kidneys’ ability to concentrate the urine properly and if there are waste products building up in the blood, as well as the presence of mineral and electrolyte imbalances. Additional tests such as blood cell counts and measuring blood pressure can identify other problems related to kidney dysfunction.

Because the early signs of kidney disease are often very subtle and cats are good at hiding illness in general, it’s important to have your cat checked periodically for kidney disease and other geriatric diseases.

Ideally, cats 7 years of age or older should be screened for any early indications of kidney dysfunction on at least a yearly basis. The earlier kidney disease is diagnosed the earlier steps can be taken to improve and prolong your cat’s life.

Caring for a cat with kidney failure

 An excellent guide which explains what a diagnosis of kidney failure means and how best to manage this. All aspects of care are discussed with information on all of the available treatment options. The case study included shows how treatment can be highly successful, even in very serious cases, with many patients living for years after a diagnosis of kidney failure is made.

Click here to view more books by Cat Professional

Claire

After helping to look after Grub, our vet nurse’s hand reared kitten for a weekend, my son Calum caught the ‘caring bug! He has a multitude of ‘babies (soft toys to you and I) and has taken to one particular cat toy which wiggles it paws and purrs!

Claire

Maisey has never gone outside, unlike my other two cats. The latest snowfalls have really ‘freaked her out’ as she tries to catch the falling flakes through the window. On one occasion I popped her into the snow outside the back door and I don’t think her paws actually touched the ground before she was back inside!! She prefers to sit in comfort in the warm, and, for her entertainment, watches her daddy build a new bird table.

Caroline

Due to weather conditions we are changing the date of our ‘Cats and Coffee’ night.
 
Please accept our apologies for the short notice but due to difficult travel conditions due to the weather we have decided it would be safer for all to wait until the weather has cleared and conditions improve.
 
The original date was Tuesday 12th January 2010 but due to weather conditions we will now be holding the evening on Tuesday 16th February 2010, this allows time for the weather to subside and travel conditions to improve.
 
‘Cats and Coffee’ night will be now on Tuesday 16th February 2010 between 6.30pm and 8.00pm, located at 34 Silver Street, Durham City DH1 3RD (opposite Marks & Spencer).
 
Please feel free to come along on the night and invite a friend. The more the merrier!
 
Places are limited so if at all possible please e-mail claire.york@simplycats.net This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it in order to help us confirm catering numbers for the buffet
 
Click here for our Facebook page.
We hope to see you there!

Claire

We now have an online store at SimplyCats click here to view the store.

Items on the online store are all selected by our vet and nurse team at affordable prices to be collected at the surgery.

This is a local service providing quality products for your all your family pets at affordable competitive prices. We only list products that our vets endorse.

Orders will be collected from the surgery where there is ample free parking and our friendly staff will carry your purchases to your car if required.

Claire

On Tuesday 12th January 2010 between 6.30pm and 8.00pm we are holding an informal ‘Cats and Coffee’ evening for our clients and cat loving friends at Caffe Nero, located at 34 Silver Street, Durham City DH1 3RD (opposite Marks & Spencer).

The evening will consist of a cat behaviour talk lasting approximately 30 mins followed by a question and answer session and chance to talk about your own cats and share experiences, good or bad with other like-minded people over a coffee.

Please feel free to come along on the night. Places are limited so if at all possible please click here and contact us in order to help us confirm catering numbers for the buffet.

Click here to visit our Facebook page and click here to follow us on Twitter

Claire