My cat's scratching ears, black stuff. Is it earmites? Is it urgent?

It sounds as though Bo is quite uncomfortable since she's scratching her ears excessively to the point of bleeding. While this is not a life-threatening emergency, it is certainly causing some degree of pain and discomfort, which necessitates a more urgent vet visit. It's likely that the ear mite medication didn't work because her issue may be caused by an ear infection with bacteria and/or yeast. At this point, your best option is to call your vet to ask about scheduling an urgent visit. I hope that she feels better soon!

Your cats may have ear mites, which are pretty obvious. Look in the ears and if you see a large amount of nasty, crusty black/brown junk this is likely the issue. Then they all need to get dewormed with a product like Revolution that kills mites and intestinal parasites. Mites are extremely itchy and painful, so treatment is very important.

First of all it's not a life threatening condition, it's likely an ear infection, very easy to treat, take her to your vet, they will prescribe an antibiotic ear drops and it will solve the problem in no time.

It sounds like Pojii could have ear mites. You usually can't see ear mites without a microscope but they could be moving ear wax around. Other types of mites, lice and fleas could also be near the ears. Ear mites usually cause a very dark, dry waxy debris in the ears and can cause secondary ear infections. I would recommend seeing a veterinarian for a diagnosis - they might take a swab from the ears and examine it under the microscope - and treatment options. Ear mites and ear infections are not particularly serious and are easily treatable, but if they are untreated they could lead to permanent damage to the ear.

The ear mites need to be treated before surgery is performed on the hematoma. There are some ear mite treatments available at pet stores, but their quality isn't as good as prescription medications. I would recommend calling your local emergency clinic to see if they even carry ear mite medications - some don't carry them in stock.

Poor Spookette! It sounds like she may have a pretty bad ear infection. Ear infections can be due to mites, bacteria, or yeast in cats. I'd recommend scheduling an examination with a veterinarian so Spookette can have her ears checked out. A swab can be taken from the ears and evaluated under the microscope to determine if the cause is mites, bacteria, or yeast. She will likely need prescription ear medication to treat. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope Spookette's ear issue resolves quickly!

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.