First let me say that I appreciate all the thoughtful answers on this board, especially from Lady B, who is so conscientious about responding. My question: My 5 yr old male and 7 mo old female MC seem to have mild cases of ear mites (they are occassionally shaking their heads and scratching their ears, but otherwise playful with good appetites). I have never dealt with this problem before. Should I take them to the vet? use pyrethrin-based remedies from the pet store? I would like to deal with this problem efficiently without unnecessarily exposing my cats to toxins. Thanks. Diane Jacobs

-- Anonymous, January 10, 2000

Answers

Wow! Thank you so much for your kind words. I enjoy this board so much and have learned a lot myself here. I am sorry that I am not very knowledgeable about ear mite problems because, thankfully, we haven't experienced that problem yet. Maybe others will have suggestions on how you can deal with this WITHOUT a visit to the vet, but all I can say is that I would take mine to a vet if we had this problem, because I would want to be sure I had got the right stuff. Mites can also get into the coat, resulting in a "dandruff" appearance. Believe it or not, they can also get onto humans, causing an itchy area! Most importantly, however, the cat scratching itself can set up an infection, even resulting in benign tumors of the ear canal called ceruminomas. I'd get them to the vets soon. I hope your cats get better soon.

-- Anonymous, January 11, 2000