Feline Fleas and Ear Mites

[JaelO]

Subject: 8 months old Kitten with fleas and ear mites

Description:



Dear Holistic Actions Team

Thank you for reading my message.

We have a 8 months old male kitten named Yoshiro, he is active most days, others he is lethargic and likes to sleep most of the day.

He has fleas and ear mites.

I've been using natural methods like castor oil to clean his ears, and diluted neem oil and applied it to its fur, to get read of the fleas.

Also, he is taking 4 x 30c of the homoeopathic Sulphur and 1 x 30 of, he is having a shower every 7 to 10 days, I have cleaned the house as often as possible, even bought Diatomaceous earth to put on the edge of the floor and corners.

2 days ago, I noticed that Yoshiros's right ear had a lot of debris, which was strange since I have been cleaning it for almost 1 month now. It hurts him when I clean it, so I stopped doing it right away. Yoshiro is scratching his ears more than ever.

I'm very concerned as I have noticed that he is sleeping more than usual, this could be also because of the weather, I live in London UK.

I don't want to take him to a normal Vet as I prefer to heal him in a more holistic way. Please let me know what can I do.

 

[Dr. Christina]

Excellent for not wanting to go merely the conventional route.
For now I would stop the homeopathic medicines.

There are 9 veterinary homeopaths listed in London and one has 2 offices - Find a Vet – BAHVS

Do record all changes you notice and make a timeline of what happened when up till now, along with, as you did, possible reasons for that symptom (e.g. weather).

You have done a lot for the fleas already. Have you been using a flea comb several times a day? How many fleas are you seeing? Or how much flea dirt? Are you getting bit?

There may be some ideas you have not tried at "fleas" - Holistic Actions!

You are probably right that he has ear mites, if the discharge is black and crumbly and he is itchy. To temporarily soothe the ears and maybe decrease the itchiness, put some Rescue Remedy in almond oil and just dribble some in his ear, then massage the base. Do not, right now, try to clean it out.

Is he eating ok? What is his diet?

Dr. Christina

 

[JaelO]

Hi Dr Christina

Thanks for replying to our question.

I have stopped all Homeopathic medication from yesterday after reading your reply. I'm reading your book Fleas be gone! and have started to use the almond oil for the ear mites.

I have combed Yoshiro's hair often since we noticed this problem, and I even bought an electric comb but never found a single flea. Sometimes I found dirt on the comb.

We have fed Yoshiro (kitten's name) with high-quality meat and fish, and we all eat organic.

We cannot go to a Homeopathic Veterinary because they are far away and are super expensive, this is why we joined here, so any help we could get is appreciated.

I have noticed

• He scratches his neck, legs and back
• He licks his paws during the day, and when he sleeps, he wakes up to do this
• He also licks his but several times during the day

*I have similar symptoms, not all but most. I have not been able to find a single flea in me, my body or Yoshiro's yet. My whole body itches in different parts, so I scratch often. Yoshiro scratches his body all throughout the day anywhere he is.

I wash my bedsheets and blankets often because we sleep together.

I shower him weekly because of this. He will be OK for 2 to 3 days, but the last time he was scratching again just a couple of hours after the shower.

He is not drinking water from his water fountain, so I add 200 ml to his food daily.

When he came to us back in early January, he was almost two months old. We noticed that he was scratching his ears and body, so we used diluted neem oil and castor oil for his ears and body.

From the day he arrived, he ate a lot, so we needed to feed him 150 gm during the day, and now he is on 250 gm.

He is very active in the morning; both of us wake up at 5 am, and from then on, after breakfast, he goes to the garden, around the neighbourhood and plays with other cats outside the house.

He is very territorial and patrols the gate of our garden making sure his friends don't enter.

After 1 pm, he is lethargic and sleeps a lot, sometimes the whole afternoon, so we encourage him to go out when the weather permits.

Thank you so much for your support and great advice.

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hi Jael-

have combed Yoshiro's hair often since we noticed this problem, and I even bought an electric comb but never found a single flea.

Fantastic that you haven't found any fleas! Are your combs special flea combs (very, very fine-toothed)?

We have fed Yoshiro (kitten's name) with high-quality meat and fish, and we all eat organic.

Wow, organic meat and fish awe-some!! The itch (especially if there are no fleas) may be a clue that his something about his diet needs tweaking.

Is he getting pure muscle meats, any bone, glands or organs? If there is no bone in the meat, I wonder about a supplemental calcium or other supplements?

How's his coat (soft, silky, dry, flaky, spiky, etc.)?

 

[GinnyW]

I'd also wonder about adding some natural raw fats and/or oils to his diet. I'd question the need for showers, as it may dry out his natural skin oils and actually contribute to his itching.
If you are not finding fleas, I would be inclined to think that his itching is from dietary causes - lack of something, or perhaps the oils you apply to him. Some, like Neem, are quite strong for a little cat, especially over time. So, I'd say to simplify what you are attempting, get more variety and organ meats in his diet, and just leave him to normalize so that you can see what his base condition is.

And, by the way, there are homeopaths - many, including right here - who can consult long distance quite successfully.

 

[JaelO]

Hi Jael-

Fantastic that you haven't found any fleas! Are your combs special flea combs (very, very fine-toothed)?

Wow, organic meat and fish awe-some!! The itch (especially if there are no fleas) may be a clue that his something about his diet needs tweaking.

Is he getting pure muscle meats, any bone, glands or organs? If there is no bone in the meat, I wonder about a supplemental calcium or other supplements?

How's his coat (soft, silky, dry, flaky, spiky, etc.)?

Hi Jael-

Fantastic that you haven't found any fleas! Are your combs special flea combs (very, very fine-toothed)?

Wow, organic meat and fish awe-some!! The itch (especially if there are no fleas) may be a clue that his something about his diet needs tweaking.

Is he getting pure muscle meats, any bone, glands or organs? If there is no bone in the meat, I wonder about a supplemental calcium or other supplements?

How's his coat (soft, silky, dry, flaky, spiky, etc.)?

Hi Dr Jeff

Thank you for replying. I appreciate your support.

I have one fine-toothed comb that I use when Yoshi is in the house, his hair is very short so I have to be very careful not to hurt his bones.

I am not sure he is getting muscle meats and organs, but not so sure about the bones. We use a company called KatKin.

He is not getting supplemental calcium or other supplements, because I didn't think he needed it. But I guess we'll have to change the diet into a raw diet or mostly raw.

His coat is soft, shiny and short.

He has continued to scratch today. I have stopped cleaning his ears after reading the information here. I've been using castor oil to clean his ears for about 2 weeks now.

 

[JaelO]

I'd also wonder about adding some natural raw fats and/or oils to his diet. I'd question the need for showers, as it may dry out his natural skin oils and actually contribute to his itching.
If you are not finding fleas, I would be inclined to think that his itching is from dietary causes - lack of something, or perhaps the oils you apply to him. Some, like Neem, are quite strong for a little cat, especially over time. So, I'd say to simplify what you are attempting, get more variety and organ meats in his diet, and just leave him to normalize so that you can see what his base condition is.

And, by the way, there are homeopaths - many, including right here - who can consult long distance quite successfully.

Hi Ginny W
Thanks for sharing. I have stopped all treatments now and will do some research about his food and food supplements.