My adopted kitten's ears twitch and have dark gunk. Is it earmites?

Hi there. I would be very suspicious that Willow has ear mites. They are microscopic so you can not tell for sure without a microscopic exam of the ear debris. I would highly encourage you to call the shelter you adopted her from as they will usually continue to care for any health problems within a certain length of time after adoption. If not then I would encourage you to have her evaluated by a veterinarian soon. In my experience over the counter ear mite medication is not very effective and just prolongs the problem. Best of luck and I hope she improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Because all of them are affected, ear mites would still be my first suspicion, even though your vet did not find any under the microscope (the fact that you just cleaned the ear before that might have something to do with that indeed). it can take 4-7 days for the cats to stop scratching their ears after the treatment has been started. other reasons for these symptoms include fungal or bacterial ear infections.

Waxy debris like this can be seen with ear mites, fungal or bacterial ear infections or allergies. Occasionally cats can have an ear wax without any underlying problem. I’d recommend having Quinn examined by a vet when you first bring her home to make sure she doesn’t need medication.

Hi and thanks for posting. An ear mite diagnosis is made when the material in the ears is put on a slide and evaluated under a microscope. I can't tell from just a picture alone. Usually ear mites are incredible itchy and cats who have ear mites will often have a great deal of brown or black debris in the ears and they will itch at their ears frequently. Sometimes they will have a secondary skin infection around their ears due to the intense scratching. If you are concerned about ear mites, my recommendation would be to see your veterinarian for a definitive diagnosis.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Judging from the picture you provided, I see black waxy material and also a tattoo that has been done on the inside of the pinna. The tattoo is likely to indicate that she has been spayed and it is in the pattern of a circle with a linear line through it. That is not a concern at all and will be permanent. The black wax may be due to ear mites or an ear infection though. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine Fluffy so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further!

It is difficult to diagnose an ear infection without examining the discharge under a microscope to see if there are any bacteria, yeast, or mites. Based on the pictures, it does not appear to be a large amount of discharge. There aren't any OTC ear medications for infections but you could clean the ear with just an ear cleaner labeled for cats and see if that helps. Clean three times a week for now and then once weekly and see if that gets rid of all the discharge. If not, he really needs to go to a vet for treatment.

This looks like a possible bacterial or yeast infection now. This can happen secondary to a primary issue such as mites. You will have to take Maggie to your vet to get the ear debris tested again and treated based on what type of infection it is (bacterial or yeast). I hope that Maggie's ear issues resolve soon! Best wishes and take care.