[jakes mom]

Looking for suggestions to help one of my cats suffering with recurring ear infections. She never seems to get completely over them. Has been on different meds from the vet (ear drops and ointments). I remember reading about a mixture of aloe vera gel and tea tree oil but don’t know the ratio or how often to apply it. Any ideas appreciated!

[Melissaandcrew]

Ack..tea tree oil is toxic to cats!!!!!! What are you feeding her? If chronic it could be an allergy to something she is eating.

[jakes mom]

I did not know that! Maybe it’s ok for dog ears? I did consider an allergy but it’s just one ear so didn’t think she would have an allergic reaction on only her right side. She eats a variety of canned foods, different brands and flavors.

[theBCnut]

Several of us have dogs that only react on one side. The dog in my avatar only reacts on his white side, both eyes and ears.

[Melissaandcrew]

Tea tree oil is fine for dogs, but not cats-and if one has both, caution should be used even if just using on the dog-in case kitty can ingest it.

My cockapoo only gets infections in one ear.

[jakes mom]

ok, thanks guys. Maybe I need to start limiting her food and see if I can see any improvement /worsening on certain brands/flavors.
Is tea tree oil good for anything? Or should I just bring it back to the store?

[Shasta220]

You can google various uses for tea tree oil. Personally, if I had a bottle of it, I’d be using it in my skin/hair care treatments. There are tons of uses for it outside of helping ear infections though 🙂

Definitely make sure her food is quality and consistent – my lab used to get awful ear infections when she was on cheaper food. Now we keep her on 4-5 star foods and she has never had an infection since!

[jakes mom]

stopped on the way home from work and bought some grain free canned and dry food, for allergy prone cats. Hope to find one or 2 she really likes and will stick with that for a while. Maybe things will improve. Thanks for the advice.

[Shasta220]

I’ve also read about people who use apple cider vinegar as an ear treatment. Mix some raw organic acv with an equal amount of water and wipe her ear out with the solution daily. I don’t know for sure if it’s safe for cats…it’s great for people and dogs, so I’d guess cats can handle it too.

[theBCnut]

If the cat has no raw skin in the ear, it’s great. But it burns like the dickens if there are any raw areas.

[jakes mom]

Thanks, I may try the vinegar. She has no raw areas, just has a bit of brown discharge. I was wondering if there was anything I could use to help her feel a little more comfortable while we’re working on the food angle. Bought an assortment of canned foods for her, so far she’s not thrilled with any of them. All grain free and no soy, etc. Any other suggestions? Stay away from anything special?

[Bobby dog]

Hi Jakes mom:
I am not sure what your budget is or what companies you prefer or have tried, but I had luck with one of my finicky kitties on the Tiki Cat chicken flavors. There are only two that are completely chicken. Against the Grain has a couple of just chicken flavors that he liked also. Both of them are shredded chicken, not a pate’ or stew styles. However, he never really seems to be in love with any single food, just likes some a little more.

[jakes mom]

Thanks, have not tried those brands. My guys (I have 5, poor dog is outnumbered!) usually don’t like the shredded/chunk type foods, they just lick off the gravy and leave the pieces! Brats! But maybe I can chop it up so small that she’d have to eat some of it!

[Bobby dog]

These are a little different than the shreds you normally get in other brands. The shredded chicken looks like the chicken we would eat. They are canned in a broth but just enough to keep the shredded chicken moist. I know exactly what you mean about shredded meat in cat food, my cats do the same! At least they make 3 oz cans so you can try it and if it doesn’t work not a big deal.

I also buy Soulistic canned chic recipes from Petco, they are less pricey. It is made by Weruva for Petco. It is shredded chicken like Tiki and Against the Grain but it comes in a gelee or gravy. Most of my cats lick the gelee or gravy off of Soulistic but they do eat the chicken afterwards. Good luck!

[jakes mom]

thanks for the encouragement, she’s been a bit of a pain about eating. lol! I was putting her in a separate room to eat so the others wouldn’t take her “special” food. Maybe she doesn’t like that. I may try feeding everybody her food for a week or two, that way whatever bowl she eats from will be ok. If it’s a food allergy, how long do you think it will take for her to show improvement?
I have PetSuppliesPlus and Petsmart near me, no Petco. I may order online later, if I can find something she’ll eat a whole case of!

[Bobby dog]

You’re welcome! I’ve been in your shoes and know how it feels. I only have one cat who will eat anything, the other four are ridiculous. You never know, a canned cat food that is processed differently than what she has had before might do the trick; even if it’s temporary it’s better than nothing.

I haven’t stepped into a Petco in a few years. I have had great luck ordering on line from them and they still let you use the pal rewards. I signed up for their e-mail offers so I would suggest you do that if you are ever interested in ordering from them. They also offer on-line coupons and free shipping on $49.00+ orders.

I always order when they have the no minimum purchase required specials. They do it about every other month it seems. That’s how I happened across their Soulistic brand, they had the no minimum free shipping special so I just ordered a case (eight cans) to try. That special also gives me the opportunity to buy small bags of dog food to try that my other pet stores don’t carry. They are not bad to order from!

[jakes mom]

thanks, I’ll check out their site. My guys aren’t usually too picky. If Smudge (the one with the ear issue) won’t eat something, the others will. So it won’t go to waste but don’t want to be spending extra $ on specific stuff for her that she won’t eat, ya know?

[Bobby dog]

I am the other way around, if the other four won’t eat the food I know at least one cat will! lol Petco doesn’t carry Tiki or Against the Grain. But I am sure you won’t have any problem finding at least Tiki. Pet Supplies Plus by me sells Tiki, not sure about Against the Grain. Weruva is another brand that might prepare the chicken like these two but I have only fed a few of their seafood recipes so I am not certain.

Petco’s Soulistic is just another option to look into, they just use a heavier “sauce” than Tiki and Against the Grain, but the chicken is prepared the same. I have fed all three and all my kitties endorse them. Good luck with her menu!

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