Niobe's ears

[mmcirvin]

When we first got Niobe back in 1998, she had a terrible case of ear mites. I don't know whether there's any connection or not, but ever since then, she's had chronic waxy buildup and irritation in her ears. The vet can't figure out the exact nature of the problem.

He has her on expensive hypoallergenic food, which I doubt is doing anything, though it might conceivably be helping with Nestor's endless stuffy nose; and withholding the canned Nine Lives is probably good for everyone's weight, anyway.

He also has us washing her ears out with a funny-smelling solution every couple of days. This does seem to be doing some good. The problem is that Niobe hates this procedure so intensely that it's poisoning her entire relationship with us. The ear-washing happens only after we pry her out from under the bed, chase her around the house, and finally manage to outrun and catch her, with lots of hissing and bristling and scratching. It's rare that she doesn't manage to draw blood. What's worse is the erosion of trust: she'll run away from us if she sees us looking at her with a funny expression. The only time she feels safe to hang around us is when we're in bed.

She's always been intensely defensive of her personal space; I think of her as half-feral. But at the same time she's a wonderfully affectionate cat when she feels safe, and once she was the most outgoing people cat of the household. I hope there's some way to win her back, even if we have to keep doing this indefinitely.

Comments

[ronebofh.livejournal.com]

Our old golden retriever, Max, had a bad ear mite problem. Kim would pour castor oil (sometimes with a touch of eucalyptus oil) into his ear to drown the mites; after a minute or so, she'd swab out the blood and wax and dead mites. It might not be as bad as the vet's solution (then again, it might not be as effective).

You should give her some catnip when you're done with the horrible procedure. Can't hurt, eh.

[mmcirvin.livejournal.com]

The mites have been dead and gone for years. What's going on now is a mystery. The problem is that she won't stand anything being put in there.

The catnip is a great idea, though. I should try it.

[mezdeathhead.livejournal.com]

my little cleo has the same problem. we call her "our little retard" because the itch from it makes her scratch until her ears bleed. it's scary to watch.

the vet i talked to sounded about as helpful as yours... the main ingrediant to that expensive ear solution is aloe, so when this bottle runs out, i'm gonna see if that works as well. be a little cheaper, anyway.

if you ever find out some good advice on this subject, keep me in the know. watching my little retards ears bleed is kinda sad.

[kerri9494.livejournal.com]

My yellow Lab, Rufus, has had this problem on and off all his life. (OK, so he's a dog, not a cat, but still.) It's worse in summer than winter, and worse a day or so after he goes swimming. The result is grody, stinky, brown, heinous ears. It drives him crazy, and it drives me crazy. The vet says it's actually a yeast infection. (Thus, why it's worse when it's hot/damp.) We got some Otomax, a steroid with antibiotic and anti-yeast medication included. It worked in a matter of a couple of days. Every summer we have to go back and get more, and it clears things up very quickly.

Also, I add acidophilous to Rufus' food, just in case. If given properly, it's not likely to hurt, and may help stave off problems if it is, in fact, a chronic yeast infection.

This may or may not be what you're dealing with, but I hope it gets better either way.