How to treat feline ear mites with herbal infusion

Here’s my sweet girl Zippity.

I discovered a few days ago that my cat has ear mites. Ear mites are very icky– they make a big black mess in the ear– but they are pretty easy to treat with a homemade herbal remedy. It saves me a trip to the vet, where I always get sick because of all the disinfectant all over the place. (But if a problem arises in any of my animals that needs professional vet help, I am there in a heartbeat.)

Anyway, back to ear mites. First, for three days I injected, with a small needleless syringe, some olive oil into her ear, squished it around by gently massaging the canal from the outside, and then let her shake her head, which dislodges most of the gunk. Then I swabbed it out with q-tips (without actually inserting the q-tips into the canal). This process can be difficult with some cats, but Zippity is very good and patient with the procedure. (If you have a cat that squirms or worse, you can buy a nifty “cat sack” at your vet’s– it’s a pouch that you put the cat in, zip it up, and then you can access any part of the cat without getting shredded with those pointy ends.)

After doing the initial cleaning for three days, I’ll let the ear rest for three days, during which time I make a rosemary infusion. That’s what I did today.

First, I picked some fresh rosemary from the garden, chopped up a quarter cup, and mashed it in the mortar & pestle (top left).

Then I put it into a small bowl with a half cup of olive oil (center left).

And then I placed that cup of the infusion on the stove top right over the pilot light so it stays warm (bottom left). You can also put it on a water heater or in a sunny window. It will stay there for three days.

Then, I will strain it, and do the same injecting and squishing thing in her ear for another three days with the infusion. And at some point I will wash and thoroughly rinse the tip of her tail, and the back and front foot on the side of the infected ear because the mites can hang out there and reinfect the ear. Then (final stage!), in another 10 days, I’ll do it again with the rosemary infusion for three days–that catches anything that’s hatched.

Zippity will be much happier very soon!

P.S. I learned about natural health for dogs and cats from Dr. Pitcairn’s Complete Guide to Natural Health for Dogs & Cats (1982, Rodale Press) by Richard H. Pitcairn, DVM, PhD, and Susan Hubble Pitcairn.

P.P.S. 6/13 update: Mites are tenacious little buggers! I had to clean out her ears several times with witch hazel to get the gunk out, and continue rosemary oil treatment for more than three days.