Using oil for ear mites in cats

[EllenS]

1. Cats - Rose and Herkimer
2. Approximate age - 6
3. Sex - F
4. Neutering status - yes
5. Breed - Rose is Calico mix, Herkimer is tabby
6. Approximate weight - 12 and 10 pounds, respectively
7. What's their BEAM (behavior, energy, appetite, mood) - all good and typical for them with the exceptions below; happy, playful, eating and sleeping well; through animal communication they let me know they're not pleased with how their ears feel after the treatment I gave them. They don't like the oil.
8. Diet - raw food (Darwin's)
9. Vaccination history / exposure to toxins, other medication - Rose had 1 Rabies vax years ago. No other vax or meds for either. Toxin exposure - low
10. Primary problem, when it began and if there was anything else happening around that time - suspected ear mites, problem may have started a few years ago and goes in cycles, These last few months they've scratched more and cleaning their ears with "QualityPet Ear Nectar Dog Ear Cleaner Solution with Aloe, Vitamin E, Coconut Oil and Witch Hazel" became less effective. The black 'dots' in their ears would be back in a few days and they would scratch around their ears, leaving marks in front of their ears, on the backs of their ears, and Rose would scratch off skin/fur on the back of her neck over and over. Their ears were never red and inflamed but they were certainly itchy. They itched all around their faces.
    
    For history: We moved twice in the last year. Once from the only home they ever knew and then 6 months later into our new home. It was a stressful year overall. Herkimer's eyes have been watering most of the year and she has been overgrooming (which is just starting to calm down now)
    The issue: After speaking with Dr Jeff on the webinar last week, I used a combination of avocado oil, olive oil, and vitamin E (using measurements from Anitra Frazier's book) this past Saturday evening. For 24 hours they shook their heads and scratched intensely when they weren't sleeping. I couldn't touch anywhere near their ears. They ate and rested well during that time. After 24 hours, Herkimer was more comfortable (ears up, playful, allowing me to touch her ears and head) but is still scratching intensely in and around her ears. Rose has had a worse time. She appeared to be in pain from scratching so much. Her ears became red and she has scratch marks in and around her ears that I treated with silver. A few doses of arnica helped and I've been giving her catnip (as per Julie-Anne Thorne's herb garden method) which settles her. Today the ears are a little less red. She continues to shake and scratch and there are still black 'dots' in her ears. I'm considering making chamomile tea and holding a gauze pad soaked in room temp tea against her ear to help soothe it.
    
    
11. Is the condition better or worse from exercise, heat, cold, time of day, certain foods, emotional upset, being touched, excitement, etc? - being touched
12. Has any diagnostic work been done? Diagnosis if available (you can attach your diagnostic tests to the post if you have them) - unfortunately we don't yet have easy access to a vet where we live
13. Current and previous treatment - see above; this week we added Liver Tonic from Adored Beast Apothecary to their meals. We are on our 3rd month of using their Feline Flora (was hoping it would help balance their systems). We also use flower essences from Green Hope Farms (currently we are trying Flow Free, Healthy Coat, Golden Armor and Anxiety) and I do intuitive and crystal healing with them.
14. Other health concerns - see above
    What can I do to help them recover from the discomfort of the oil treatment? And what else can I try to get the ear mites out of their ears? Thank you!

 

[Dr. Jeff]

Hi Ellen!

Thanks for re-posting your message here and making your first post!

What can I do to help them recover from the discomfort of the oil treatment? And what else can I try to get the ear mites out of their ears?

Perhaps try wiping out their ears daily using:

Amazon.com

 

[Dr. Christina]

Vibrational essences are always a gentle way to decrease stress of treatment. You are using a lot at once. Are all four needed? Stress stopper or rescue remedy several times during the day may help. Crab apple from Bach may help the body repel the mites if the Green hope have not. Good to test for them.

Also, since this has been so persistent, do take a swab of the black debris to the vet or a friend with a microscope - be sure you do have mites.

If yes, also treat the tip of the tails with the oils, or some diatomaceous earth, as when cats curl up their tail tip is in their ears, so it can go back and forth.

And have you communicated with the mites and the cats to see what is needed?

Dr. Christina

 

[EllenS]

Thank you both. I have been wiping their ears each evening with chamomile tea. There is more black gook coming out since the oil treatment than before it. I'll see if it decreases over the next days. Maybe this is the die off? The redness in Rose's ears is getting better each day. They are both scratching/digging a lot but there is significantly less head shaking.

Vibrational essences -- I was putting 2 of them in their dinners and 1 or 2 of them in one of their water bowls so they could self select that one but stopped all of them a few days ago when I started them on Liver Tonic so I could see what was having an effect. I've ordered the crab apple to have on hand.

Swab -- we don't have a vet or a friend with a microscope unfortunately. I'll keep researching vets to see if any are accepting new patients and if they'll see unvaxxed cats. There is a HUGE shortage of vets and people doctors where I now live. You've given me an idea though. There are lots of vets an hour away. Maybe I can take a swab to one of them? I'll call around.

Tip of the tails -- this is interesting. Rose has always chewed the tip of her tail while waiting for her food to be prepared. She said it soothed her. Now I wonder if she always had mites? Even though her ears looked clean, several times a year she would scratch fur off the back of her head (creating scabs) and behind her ears.

Communicating -- I did not think to communicate with the mites. That's brilliant! Thank you. They had a few messages for me.

I've been searching around the area to find organic chicken livers and hearts to start making our own raw food and finally located someone who sells them yesterday. Yay! By the end of the month I hope to have everything I need to start purchasing the supplies and making their food. They've always eaten pre-made raw food but the quality has declined significantly, which is surely contributing to their imbalances.

 

[Dr. Christina]

Remember making their food is easy. A little pureed fresh vegetables, then hunks of heart, liver, frames, fish, eggs, dairy - anything you are eating. Big hunks at least several times a week to keep teeth and jaws healthy. Calcium supplement if not feeding bones. Keep it easy.

Dr. Christina