Dirty Ears

[Richie12345]

My cat has dirty ears, I was a little worried about it, because I read that dogs shouldn't have dirty ears. I read on the internet that if your cat has black, waxy material in the ears, she might have parasites, or something. I tried cleaning her ears with Q-tips (as instructed), I had no idea if that hurt my cat or not so I am not sure if I should do it again. Anyways, I got the filthiest parts out, but not all of it. I gave her some treats and rewarded her for not meowing and crying (She was a little frightened, though, and tried to run away), but I don't know what to do next. Should I continue the process I am doing, should I not? Please help, the website I read said it causes temporary deafness, and discomfort.

Thank You

 

[showpug]

Any dark, black, or crusty material in a dog OR cat's ear is an unhealthy sign. Debris other than an occasional very small amount of wax is abnormal. Sounds to me like your cat may have ear mites. Does your cat scratch at her ears when you are trying to clean them with q-tips? Does she shake her head? I would recommend that you take her to the vet to be sure. In the mean time, you may want to purchase an ear cleansing solution to loosed the debris up and then wipe them with a cotton ball. DO NOT let a pet store sales person sell you ear mite medication. The over-the-counter meds contain pyrethrins that are dangerous for cats and it is a waste of money if ear mites are no present. Clean your cat's ears out with the flush by squirting a fair amount into the ear and massaging the base of the ear so you can hear the solution squish around and then let your cat shake the excess out. After that, wipe the debris out with cotton. Do it twice a day for a couple of days. If the ear debris/crust returns, there is a good chance your cat has ear mites. Here are a few links to what ear mite infections look like ...make sure you scroll down to the picture : http://www.lbah.com/feline/ear_mites.htm#symptoms and an ear flushing solution that I use. http://www.valleyvet.com/ct_detail.html?pgguid=30e07783-7b6a-11d5-a192-00b0d0204ae5

 

[Richie12345]

Yeah, when I tried cleaning her ears she would shake her head. She also meows loudly, like she's in pain. She's been meowing very loudly for a couple of days, she ran away recently, so I thought she didn't remember us or something, but is it possible that she's in pain? Thanks, ShowPug!

 

[Barb04]

If cleaning doesn't work, take her to a vet. It might be possible that it's now an inner ear infection, especially if she meows loudly in pain.

 

[showpug]

If she meows and shakes her head there is a good chance you are dealing with mites. Ears being cleaned can tickle though and sometimes that causes head shaking and the meowing could be from her not wanting to be messed with. Either way, if you sense she is in pain then take her in to be sure. It is usually around $100 at vets around here to treat and clean up a mite infection. Just an FYI- ear mites are contagious to cats and dogs. Good luck with her

 

[Richie12345]

Contagious? Hmm... I am guessing she got the mites from another cat. My dad is going to take her to the vet, I just got to nag him about it so he actually do it. My parents and I get quite annoyed when she meows, especially at night when we are trying to sleep!

 

[Richie12345]

If she meows and shakes her head there is a good chance you are dealing with mites. Ears being cleaned can tickle though and sometimes that causes head shaking and the meowing could be from her not wanting to be messed with. Either way, if you sense she is in pain then take her in to be sure. It is usually around $100 at vets around here to treat and clean up a mite infection. Just an FYI- ear mites are contagious to cats and dogs. Good luck with her

She meows even if she is left alone, and she paws and scratches her ears.

 

[showpug]

I really think your cat has ear mites The only reason I think this is because of my working days in the vet clinic. We saw ear mites in cats everyday, so I am familiar with the way the ear looks and the way they act. Fortunatley they are easy to treat and don't cause long-term damage if they are treated by your vet. If left untreated, they can make your cat very uncomfortable and if she scratches enough, it can cause an ear hematoma from trauma to the ears soft tissue. Go to the vet and get her feeling better