Does my kitty have ear mites? Any home remedies?

[Paper Roses]

My new kitty is great and getting to be very much at home.
This past week or so, I noticed that she frequently scratches her ears. She is not good at sitting still for a look see but I did notice what looks a little like bits of dirt within her ears. I wiped the top inside with a damp cotton ball and they look good. The part in question is the deeper area that I can see as I look down into her ears. I didn't notice this before because she spent a lot of time curled up asleep, investigating or I was at work in my new part time job.

Do I need special drops or is there a common home cure?

Don't have the extra $$ for a vet if it is not necessary. She is in great health and has grown a lot since I brought her home a month ago.
Any advice would be helpful.
Thanks
PR

[elana i am]

1. yes. ear mites.

you should be able to get some goop at the pet store.

do her ears stink? if they do that means it's gotten to the point of infection and you need to go to the vet for the heavy duty stuff.

[Vinca]

2. I've had good luck with Sargeant's Miteaway that you buy at the grocery store.

5 drops in each ear for a few days does the trick. My new little guy had a really bad case of them when I adopted him from the humane society. The vet talked me into trying one of those really expensive once-a-month flea medicines you squeeze out of a tube and put on the nape of their neck. It worked after awhile, but when they came back after that wore off I used the Sargeant's for a few days and it seems now they're gone for good.

[badgerpup]

3. I get Animax from my Sainted Vet...

It's an ointment that goes in their ears. Kills the mites, helps heal the infection, and it's got a teensy bit of cortisone in it as well to help stop the itching.

A leetle spendy, but well worth it for the relief it gives to my guys.
They're indoor/outdoor kitties, so they get checked (and treated, if necessary) for earmites on a regular basis.

According to my Sainted Vet, if an earmite infestation is left untreated for too long, it can cause hearing loss.

[SPedigrees]

4. A home remedy prescribed to me yrs ago by a vet

at Angell Memorial Animal Hosp in Boston is a dropperful of plain mineral oil in each ear for about a week or 10 days. Kitty will not like it and will have greasy fur from the oil, but I've never known this remedy to fail.