The Universe and Me

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Do we need 'em? : ear mites

At least one of my kittens has ear mites, so I’m saying right away that no, we don’t need ear mites. In looking up some information on them, particularly how to get rid of the nasty critters, I didn’t find any need to keep ear mites either. Officially called Otodectes cyanotis from the Latin (meaning: picker of ear), they’re highly contagious crablike insects that resemble microscopic ticks. They live on the surface skin of the ear canal. Their eggs hatch four days after incubation. They become adults in about three weeks, then feed on ear wax and skin oils. Although they only live around two months, they breed replacements. Why I really want them gone is because their piercing of the auditory canal can cause secondary bacterial or fungal infections which can lead to deafness. So since they seem to bring nothing to the world of cats and dogs but grief, I say we don’t need ‘em. Especially in my house.

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