Why are my cats still shaking heads and scratching ears after mite treatment?

Ear infections are relatively common in both cats and dogs. Some are more persistent than others. As you said, your vet took a look at the contents of the ear to determine what course of treatment might be required. Without a true bacterial / fungal culture, I could only speculate as to what the exact organism might be. The majority of ear medications, tresaderm included, are traditionally quite broad spectrum in an attempt to cover as many bugs as possible. The reason Fatboy is shaking his head is likely a combination of both the drops and the discomfort associated with the infection. If after six days of effective treatment, you are not seeing any improvement at all, you might want to call you vet and let him know. He may want to obtain a new sample to see if any progress is being made. If not, a true culture could be sent out to better target his therapy and change medications if needed be.

Poor Toby! He could have a middle ear infection caused by yeast or bacteria that you cannot see. His symptoms do indicate a problem with his ears, and I would take him into the vet today or tomorrow for an exam. The vet can look down his ears with an otoscope to see if he does have an infection, and can treat him for it. It's important to have any ear problem examined and treated promptly as leaving it untreated can lead to hearing loss.

Ear infections can also be caused by yeast or bacteria, and ear mite medication won't treat those. That could be why Ranger is shaking his head again. I recommend having him seen by a vet who can diagnose why he is shaking his head, and can prescribe him medication to treat it.

No, this isn't normal behavior. When you initially put drops in the ears of a cat, it is normal to see some head shaking and itching for a short period of time, but it should not continue for 20 minutes. This suggests that the Johnsons ear drops are irritating their ears, and I would not use it again. I would take them both into the vet. Cats naturally produce a little bit of ear wax, but a build up of it indicates an ear infection. Ear infections in cats are caused by ear mites, bacteria, or yeast, so the cause needs to be diagnosed in order for the cat to be treated correctly. I would take both of them into the vet on Monday. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Hello. Use a cotton ball to gently remove any excess oil. I would guess that she is shaking her head because she has all these desperate dying ear mites in her ears. Once the ear mites have all died in a few days, she will be fine. But right now her ears are itching & this will get better pretty soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Most likely this won't hurt her because there is very limited absorption to the system from medications applied into the ear. Just wipe out the excess with a cotton ball or paper towel and flush the eyes with sterile eye wash if you suspect any could have gotten in there. She should be fine.

Ear mites is possible but in an indoor only kitty it is less likely and the more likely cause would be a bacterial or yeast infection of the ear, or a foreign body stuck in the ear. I would recommend a vet visit. The vet can look in the ear with an otoscope and can take a swab from the ear to check under the microscope for mites, bacteria or yeast and prescribe medications to treat this.