FRA cat scratching at his ears often has ear mites, especially if he is young or new to the home, and ear mites concern the whole household, including the pets that are not scratching. But in cats, age changes the list: a polyp in a young cat, allergy in an adult whose ear keeps coming back, a growth in an older one. And nothing goes into the ear before someone has looked at the eardrum.
This guide helps you understand what is going on; it does not replace a veterinary exam. An itchy or draining ear has to be looked at, not guessed at. Call us at 514 223-1197.
Some signs cannot wait
If he is dull or not responding normally, if he has a seizure, if he is working to breathe, if his ear is bleeding while his head tilts, if it started after a blow, or if a dog product was put on him: go now. A tilted head, loss of balance, eyes that move on their own, one eye that looks different from the other, one side of the face drooping, blood running from the ear canal, severe pain: call us now, he needs to be seen today. In the meantime, put nothing in his ear.
Call us at 514 223-1197. Outside our opening hours we do not run an emergency service: for a go-now sign, go to a veterinary centre open 24/7; for the others, call one rather than waiting until tomorrow. Then tell us so we can take it from there. The full list is in The signs that cannot wait.
Ear mites and ear infections: what are we talking about?
Ear mites are tiny parasites that live in the ear canal; veterinarians call the infestation otoacariasis. This is not human scabies. Otitis, what most people call an ear infection, is inflammation of that canal, with or without an actual infection. The two often overlap: mites are a common cause of ear infections in cats, especially in kittens and in cats who have just joined the household. But plenty of feline ear infections have nothing to do with mites, and in cats, age changes the order of causes (section 6). For dogs, see Otitis externa in dogs.
Three levels
The ear has three levels. The outer ear is the canal: it runs down the side of the head, then turns inward to the eardrum. Because of that bend, nobody can see the eardrum with the naked eye, not you and not us: it takes an otoscope, a small light with a magnifier and a cone that slips into the canal. Behind the eardrum, the middle ear is a small chamber of bone, the bulla, which in cats is divided in two. A narrow tube connects it to the back of the throat. The inner ear, deepest of all, holds hearing and balance.
In cats, the middle ear gets infected more often from the throat, after a cold or because of a polyp, than from the canal. That is the reverse of what happens in dogs. Nerves to the face and the eye run right past it, so a diseased middle ear can make one side of the face droop or change how one eye looks (section 3).
The signs, and what they do not tell you
The first sign is often a cat scratching at an ear with a hind foot, or shaking his head more than usual.
What you see at home
- He scratches at his ears, sometimes until there are scabs or sores behind the ear and on the neck.
- He shakes his head, or holds it slightly to one side when the ear hurts. If his head stays tilted, even slightly, or he loses his balance: that is section 3, he needs to be seen today.
- Dark brown to black debris in the ear, dry and crumbly, like coffee grounds. That is the classic sign of ear mites.
- Discharge, a smell, an ear that is red or warm.
- He no longer wants his head touched. If he cries out or pulls away as your hand comes near: that is section 3.
- An ear flap that swells up all at once, full of fluid: that is an aural hematoma, blood that has pooled from all the shaking and scratching. Left alone, it can take months to go down and leave a crumpled ear. Draining and repairing the ear flap happens here, during our opening hours, and the ear that caused all that shaking is examined at the same visit. If it is hot, tight or very painful: that is section 3.
- He snores, sneezes or struggles to swallow on top of the ear signs: in a young cat, think polyp (section 6). Breathing that takes effort is section 3.
- Scabs that will not heal on the tips of white ears that get sun: that is the skin of the ear flap, not an ear infection, and it needs a look too.
- Sometimes nothing at all: a cat can carry mites without scratching (section 5).
What the debris does not tell you
Dark debris suggests mites, but yeast or a bacterial infection can produce it too. And an ear that looks clean can still have mites, and a first negative exam does not always rule them out either: if doubt remains, your veterinarian may decide to treat. Only a look down the ear with an otoscope, and at the wax under the microscope, settles it. Do not go looking for mites yourself with a cotton swab: it pushes debris deeper and can injure the canal.
The signs that cannot wait
An ordinary ear infection, with or without mites, is uncomfortable, but it is not counted in hours. Some signs change everything. They mean the problem has gone deeper than the canal, into the middle or inner ear, or that something else is going on. One is enough.
Go now if you see even one of these.
- He is dull or flat, does not respond normally to your voice, or does not seem to recognize what is around him.
- He has a seizure, even a brief one.
- He cannot get up at all, or he keeps rolling over and cannot stop.
- His head tilts or he loses his balance, and on top of that: he suddenly cannot see (he bumps into things, both pupils stay wide), one side of his body is weak or his legs will not hold him, or he vomits nonstop or cannot swallow.
- His ear or nose is bleeding while his head tilts or he loses his balance; or these signs started after a blow: a fall, a car, a fight.
- He is working to breathe: mouth open, neck stretched out, crouched and anxious. Place him gently in his carrier without forcing him, and keep the ride calm and cool.
- A dog product was put on him, in the ear or on the coat; he has been in close contact with a dog just treated with a permethrin flea product; or he is trembling after any product at all.
- His signs are getting worse by the hour.
- He is a kitten and has stopped eating, or has any of the signs in the next list: everything moves faster in kittens, so go now.
Where to go. During our opening hours, come straight in: have a passenger call us on the way, or call before you leave, at 514 223-1197. Outside our opening hours we do not run an emergency service: go to a veterinary centre open 24/7, then tell us so we can take it from there.
Call us now: he needs to be seen today.
- His head tilts to one side, even slightly, he loses his balance, falls or walks in circles.
- His eyes move on their own, side to side or round and round.
- On one side only, an eye does not look the same: a smaller pupil, a drooping upper lid, an eye that looks sunken, the third eyelid coming up in the corner.
- One side of his face droops: a lip or an ear hanging, an eye that no longer blinks.
- Blood is running from the ear canal.
- An ear flap that swelled up all at once and is hot, tight or very painful.
- He is in a lot of pain: he cries out or pulls away when your hand comes near his head, he stops eating.
- He suddenly cannot hear.
- One of these signs appeared after something was put in his ear or after a cleaning: put nothing more in, and bring the bottle.
If we are closed, these signs do not wait until tomorrow: call a veterinary centre open 24/7. Describing the situation on the phone commits you to nothing.
And in the meantime: put nothing in the ear. No leftover drops from another time, no oil, no cleaner, no cotton swab. An ear that has not been looked at this time may have a ruptured eardrum.
One eye that does not look the same
Look at both eyes side by side, without touching anything. The one-sided changes described in the list have a name: Horner syndrome. It does not hurt, but in cats, it often points the exam toward the middle ear: it changes what we look for, not the timing. It is not the loss of vision where both pupils stay wide: that one means go now. Take a photo of it and mention it on the phone.
If the main sign is a head tilt or a balance problem, call first, then read our guide My pet is losing balance or tilting their head.
What you cannot settle at home
Even if he is eating and walking straight, there is no way to tell at home how deep the problem goes: in cats, the ear can even look normal from the outside. That is why these signs do not wait until tomorrow: with us during our opening hours, and otherwise at a veterinary centre open 24/7.
What can wait a few days, not a few weeks
An itchy ear, scabs or scratch wounds around the ear, dark debris, a smell, a discharge, with none of the signs above; an ear flap that is swollen and soft, neither hot nor painful; noisy breathing that lingers without effort; a kitten or a newcomer who needs checking: book an appointment within the next few days. Do not count on it going away by itself: an itch that settles does not mean the mites are gone. If one of the signs above shows up in the meantime, or things get worse, do not wait for the appointment: call us, or a centre open 24/7 if we are closed. And put nothing in the ear until then.
Give no home medications
The evening your cat scratches his ear raw is exactly when the medicine cabinet comes open, or a home remedy gets looked up online. Cats are a species apart: their liver does not detoxify like ours, or like a dog's, and they lick off whatever goes on their coat. Several utterly ordinary products make them seriously ill, or kill them.
Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
Fatal to cats, even a single tablet. There is no safe dose. If your cat swallowed any, it is an immediate emergency.
Ibuprofen (Advil), naproxen (Aleve), aspirin
Toxic: digestive ulcers, kidney damage. Never a human anti-inflammatory, for any reason, and least of all to "soothe" a sore ear.
Dog flea products
Several contain permethrin, a violent poison for cats (tremors, seizures). Never a "for dogs" product on a cat, even a small amount, not even "just in the ear", and watch the cat who rubs against a freshly treated dog. In Canada, permethrin spot-ons carry a crossed-out cat and the words "Toxic to cats"; a dog product without that symbol is no safer for a cat.
Horse or cattle dewormers
Never in a cat's ear or mouth. A horse deworming paste put in the ears against what was believed to be mites has already seriously poisoned cats.
Drops left over from a past ear infection, or the dog's
Nobody has looked at the eardrum this time, and cats are particularly sensitive to some antibiotics in ear drops: if the eardrum is ruptured, balance or hearing can suffer, sometimes for good.
Essential oils, tea tree oil above all
Never in the ear or on the coat. Cats clear them poorly and lick them off while grooming. Health Canada does not allow tea tree oil in veterinary health products for cats. "Natural" flea products can contain essential oils: read the ingredient list. Careful: an essential oil is not an oil.
Garlic
Not in the ear, not in his bowl. Cats are even more sensitive to it than dogs: garlic and onion destroy their red blood cells.
Hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, alcohol, antiseptics, bleach
No peroxide and no vinegar, even diluted: they irritate an already inflamed canal and encourage infection. No rubbing alcohol; in the ear, no pharmacy antiseptic (chlorhexidine, iodine), not even the one used on a wound; never bleach, which irritates and can burn the skin of the canal. If the eardrum is ruptured, several of these products damage the inner ear, sometimes for good.
Olive oil, baby oil
Not a treatment. It does nothing for the mites living elsewhere on the body or on the other pets in the home, nothing for the infection that often comes with them, nothing for a polyp. And without an exam, nobody knows whether it is mites or whether the eardrum is intact: like anything not prescribed for this ear, it stays out of it.
Benadryl, cortisone cream, leftover prescriptions
Never without direction. They mask what the veterinarian needs to see, and a cat licks off any cream put on him.
Another animal's prescription
Same apparent problem, same weight, same household: none of that is ever enough. What relieves a dog can kill a cat, and a dose calculated for another patient is not a dose.
If he licked something off
In cats, there is no safe way to induce vomiting at home: hydrogen peroxide can be fatal to them. It is a clinic procedure, under sedation if needed. Call us or head straight in, or to a centre open 24/7 if we are closed, and bring the packaging. If it was a dog product, or he is trembling, go now. The animal poison control lines are on our Emergency: what to do page.
If you have already put something in his ear
Put nothing more in, and tell us: knowing what went in, and when, changes what we look for under the microscope and what we choose next. Nobody is going to hold that against you.
Mites: a whole-household problem
If your cat has ear mites, the question is not just his ear: it is the whole home.
How the mite lives
It is a mite barely visible to the naked eye, a tiny white speck that moves. It lives on the surface of the canal, feeds on skin debris and does not burrow. Its whole life cycle, from egg to adult, happens on the animal, in about three weeks. It can also turn up elsewhere on the body: the head, the neck, the tail. Off the animal, it survives from a few days to a few weeks: wash bedding, blankets and brushes, but it is the animals that get treated. No insecticide or flea spray in the house: that is not what clears a mite that lives on the animals, and several are toxic to cats.
How it spreads
Mostly through close contact: play, grooming each other, sleeping curled up together. The same mite passes from cats to dogs and ferrets, and back. It shows up more often in kittens, in cats found outdoors or coming from a colony, and in cats living in groups; but an adult, even an indoor one, can carry it with no sign at all.
The whole household, through the exam
The itch depends mostly on how the cat reacts, not on how many mites there are: one cat can carry plenty without scratching, and pass them back to the others. So every animal in your home counts, even one that is not scratching. After examining your cat, your veterinarian decides which animals to treat and with which product; a dog, or a pet we have not seen yet, may need an exam first. Each species gets the product made for it: never the dog's product on the cat.
Before the appointment, write down for each animal in the home:
- species, age and approximate weight;
- any pregnancy or nursing;
- health problems and medications;
- the name of the parasite product it already gets: some also cover ear mites, others do not.
After a product applied to the skin, follow the instructions that come with it: they often ask that treated animals not lick each other, that kittens not lick the treated spot on their mother, and that children not touch it while it can still be seen.
The dog in the home
If he gets a flea product, ask your veterinarian for one without permethrin. If he has just had a permethrin product, keep your cat away from him, with no grooming each other and no sleeping curled up together, and ask us for how long. If your cat has already rubbed against him or slept against him, that is a section 3 sign: go now, even if he seems fine.
A newcomer
A kitten or cat who has just arrived lives in a separate room until his first exam, with his own litter box, bowls and blanket. Ask for his ears to be checked at that visit, and bring his health record: a parasite treatment written in the record does not necessarily cover ear mites. The steps for introductions are in our guide Introducing a new cat.
The ferret
The same mite affects ferrets. If there is a ferret at home, tell us: it needs its own exam and a treatment made for its species.
And you?
Cat ear mites rarely pass to people, and then only briefly. Wear gloves to treat his ears if you have some, and wash your hands afterward; have children who handled him wash theirs. If you have itchy bumps or an itchy ear, talk to your doctor or call Info-Santé at 811.
Not mites? The other causes, by age
In cats, no single cause dominates at every age. Age points the search in the right direction; it does not replace an exam, and one ear can have more than one cause.
By age
Kittens, and cats found outdoors or from a colony: ear mites come first to mind.
Young adults (about 1 to 5 years): an inflammatory polyp, or an allergy, which often starts at this age. Mites are still possible.
Adults whose ear keeps coming back: what keeps it going has to be found. Allergy is a common cause, but it is only diagnosed once parasites, ear mites included, have been ruled out, even in a cat who never goes outside. We also look for a polyp or middle ear disease.
Older cats (around 10 and up): a growth in the ear canal (see below), or cysts of the ear's glands, which most often affect both ears.
At any age: a foreign body, less common than in dogs, or a middle ear infection that came up from the nose and throat, often after a cold, sometimes with no ear sign at all (see our guide Vestibular syndrome in cats).
The polyp
It is a growth that is not cancer, starting in the middle ear or at the back of the throat, mostly in young cats but at any age. Nobody knows why it forms. On the ear side: a one-sided discharge that keeps coming back, a head tilt, one eye that changes. On the throat side: snoring, noisy breathing, sneezing, a runny nose, trouble swallowing, a voice that changes. We look for it during the exam, often under sedation or anesthesia, because it hides behind the eardrum or behind the soft palate.
Removing a polyp, and surgery on the bulla (the bony chamber of the middle ear) when it is needed, are part of what we do here, during our opening hours. For any given case, your veterinarian will tell you how and where it is done, after examining your cat. A polyp can grow back, depending on where it starts and how it is removed. After the procedure, one eye looking different or a head tilt is common, and most often temporary; a sign that was already there before the procedure is more likely to stay.
Allergy
It exists in cats and can affect the ears, often with itching elsewhere too: the head, the neck, scabs, fur pulled out from overgrooming. It is confirmed by ruling out the rest first: fleas, mites, infections, then food. See Allergies in cats.
A growth in an older cat
In cats, a growth in the ear canal is more often cancerous than in dogs. One ear that drains and will not heal despite treatment given properly, blood, a strong smell, a visible lump, swelling below the ear: we look for a growth, rather than simply repeating the same treatment. When a mass needs to be analyzed, the sample is taken here, during our opening hours, and the tissue then goes to an outside laboratory.
The eardrum first
Before anything goes into an ear, we look at the eardrum. Not on principle: because the consequence of a ruptured eardrum nobody saw can be permanent.
Why it matters
Behind the eardrum sits the middle ear, then the inner ear, which holds hearing and balance. Some ear medications and cleaners that are safe in a closed canal damage it on the other side. And the eardrum cannot be seen at home, pain says nothing about its state, and in severe cases the mites themselves can rupture it.
What the exam involves
We look down both canals with an otoscope, as far as the eardrum when the ear allows it. An ear that hurts too much is not examined by force: we offer sedation, sometimes anesthesia. Before cleaning an ear that is diseased, we generally take a sample: a swab in the canal, a smear on a slide, and a reading under the microscope in-house. This is called cytology: it shows the mites, their eggs, yeast and bacteria.
When the canal is too full, too painful or too damaged, the cleaning is done here, during our opening hours, under sedation or general anesthesia; under anesthesia, it can be done with a video otoscope, which shows the bottom of the canal and the eardrum. In the days after a deep cleaning, if his head starts to tilt, one eye changes or he seems unable to hear, call us now, or a veterinary centre open 24/7 if we are closed.
What this means for you
Nothing goes into the ear until it has been looked at this time: none of the products in section 4, no cleaner, no cotton swab (the cotton swab sample is a clinic procedure). A healthy cat's ear generally does not need cleaning at all. Our two how-to guides cover this in detail:
Treatment, and the recheck that follows
Treatment does two jobs: clearing the mites from every animal involved, and healing the ear itself. The exact choice is your veterinarian's, after the exam; here are the main families, described by what they do.
Against the mites
- A prescribed parasite product, applied to the skin or given by mouth, that works throughout the body, including on the mites living outside the ear.
- Or a product put in the ear, depending on the case, often after a cleaning.
- For each animal involved, its own product, chosen for its species, age and weight (section 5). Year-round prevention is explained on our Parasite prevention page.
For the ear
- An ear treatment chosen from what we saw under the microscope. A bacterial or yeast infection often comes along with the mites, and killing the mites does not always clear it.
- A prescribed anti-inflammatory, when the canal is so swollen or so painful that no treatment can get in.
- Treatment by mouth, when the middle ear is involved.
- Something for the pain. An ear scratched raw hurts, and that is not a side detail of the plan.
- A cleaning at the clinic, when needed (section 7).
Why it lasts longer than the signs
Medication kills adult mites quickly, but eggs already laid keep hatching over the following weeks. Treatment has to cover that time, in every animal involved at once. Depending on the product, your veterinarian plans a single application or several, and treating the whole household often takes several weeks. Do not stop because your cat has stopped scratching, and do not change the amount or how often on your own.
Mites gone does not mean the ear has healed
The mites go before the ear heals: some redness, a little debris, or an ear that still itches when rubbed can linger for a few weeks without it necessarily being a failure. The recheck, where the swab under the microscope can be repeated, is what tells us whether the mites are gone and the ear is healed, not just quiet: it is what tells us whether treatment can stop. Book it before you leave the first visit: it is the appointment everyone puts off. Come back sooner if the itching gets worse, or the ear smells or drains. And if, during treatment, his head starts to tilt, he loses his balance or he cannot hear: put nothing more in, bring the bottle, and call us now, or a veterinary centre open 24/7 if we are closed.
Treating a cat
Never force a cat who is fighting you: stop and call us, there are other ways to do this. Once the diagnosis is made, we can also show you at the clinic how to clean your cat's ear.
When it keeps coming back
An ear that keeps flaring up is not bad luck: it is information. In cats, it often comes down to one of three explanations.
The three explanations
The mites came back. An animal in the home was not treated, treatment stopped too early, or a new pet, or a dog who goes outside, brought them back.
It was not mites, or not only mites. A polyp, an allergy, a growth in an older cat: section 6, by age.
The middle ear is involved, especially after a cold or with a polyp, and sometimes without an obvious sign.
What we do then
- A culture, when the infection holds on: the sample is taken here, the culture goes to an outside laboratory. How long it takes depends on the test: ask when the sample is taken.
- Radiographs: they are done here, under sedation or anesthesia depending on the case, so the head can be positioned properly. The images may then go out to a radiologist for reading, and how long that takes depends on the case. When a finer image than a radiograph is needed, it is done elsewhere, at a centre equipped for it, and your veterinarian will tell you where.
- An exam under anesthesia, with the video otoscope, to see the bottom of the canal, the eardrum, a polyp.
- A biopsy, when we see a growth: it is done here, during our opening hours, and the tissue then goes to an outside laboratory.
- A dermatology opinion: we consider a veterinary dermatologist's opinion when the cause resists, and that opinion is a referral. The dermatology workup itself happens here: skin scrapings, cytology, fungal culture, and the rechecks that follow.
What we can honestly promise
Ear mites clear up well when the whole household is taken care of and the plan is followed through to the recheck. An allergic cat, on the other hand, will probably have ears to keep an eye on for a long time: the goal is not "never again", it is less often, less severe, caught earlier.
You did not miss anything. Treating one ear at a time is what everyone does at first. What changes things is thinking about the whole household, and looking for what keeps the ear going when it comes back.
Frequently asked questions
Can I treat my cat's ear mites at home with olive oil or vinegar?
My cat's ears are dirty and black: is it ear mites or an ear infection?
Can my family or I catch ear mites from our cat?
My cat is scratching his ears until they bleed. What do I do until he is seen?
Can my dog or my other cats get ear mites from my cat? Do they need treatment if they are not scratching?
My kitten is under 12 weeks old. Can he be treated?
Is there an over-the-counter ear mite treatment at the pharmacy?
How long does treatment take? He is still scratching: did it fail?
Also worth reading
Updated October 16, 2026 · Hôpital Vétérinaire Métro Iberville
This guide is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute veterinary medical advice and is not a substitute for a consultation with a qualified veterinarian. Every animal is unique and their health must be evaluated individually. If you have concerns about your pet's health, contact our clinic or consult a veterinarian promptly.
Worried about your cat's ear?
An itchy or draining ear has to be looked at: it is the only way to know whether there are mites, what else is going on, and whether the eardrum is intact. Book an appointment, or call us if you are unsure how urgent it is.