Ear tuff should NEVER be cut ????

Someone told me the long hair tuff inside some kitties ears should NEVER be cut because they are essential to a cat's coordination like their wiskers.

I have a hard time believing that considering it's 'fur' and not wiskers inside the ears. Anyone knows about this?

Minou

i would never cut the hair inside my kitties ear because 'god' wouldn't have put it there if it didn't serve a purpose. I really think though it helps keep foreign stuff out of their ears. We have small hairs - because we have smaller openings. They need to have lots of hair because they have larger openings. If something touches the ear - the hair feels it and they flick their ear.

I apologize, I didn't write my post properly.... I didn't want to say 'cut', I mean groom - make the tuff shorther - so the cat looks neat because the tuff tends to look greasy.

That is what I meant to say, I was told it should never be done. I don't see a problem with doing that but she says No Way, cats' need them.

Minou

Well, that fur does protect their inner ears, and besides, they were created with it and it's part of their beauty, so why would anyone want to alter that???

Besides them saying they are greasy, I do not understand why they want them shortened also. It think those long tuff gives such beauty to a cat.

Minou

Maybe you need another cat so they can clean each others' ears.

They should never be trimmed.
Apart from keeping things out of the ears, they are also tactile hairs.
While they are not whiskers, they act in much the same way.

If you're just worried about the greasiness, you could maybe wet a washcloth with a BIT of dawn dishwashing liquid (the cloth should NOT be dripping, you do not want water running down inside the ear) and just gently wipe the very outside of the ear... you can clean the inside of your kitty's ears carefully, but I wouldn't suggest it unless a vet or tech shows you the proper way to do it... I clean Oliver's probably twice a month (I have sheter/vet experience) cuz they get a little icky... I think it's mostly due to litter dust and cuz he gets to go outside sometimes on his leash... but I never trim his ear hair, it's essential - keeps big things out, works as a sensor and also effects how the cat hears (just like the hair in our ears!)

I don't trim the tufts in my cats ears but I know breeders who do so before a show.

I would not do it. Tho for some show cats, you do pluck out the hairs if its not standard. Some breeds that need a "wide open look" for ears are Rexes (Cornish/Devon), Orientals, Siamese. The rest keep their ear furnishings.

Persians get the TOP of the ear trimmed so its nice and rounded looking, but the inside furnishings are not taken out.

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

Persians get the TOP of the ear trimmed so its nice and rounded looking, but the inside furnishings are not taken out.

Click to expand...

Yes, this is true. For the Persian show cat, it is prefered for the ear to look rounder so they trim around the outside of the ear.

It's OK to trim around the outside of the ear like that, but not actually the hair that's inside the ear... that keeps dirt out, and sends touch messages to the cat's brain, so if something gets in its ear, the cat moves or shakes its head or cleans its ear.

You could easily clean the ears with a damp washcloth, though. Just the ear flaps, not inside the ear. Most cats do just fine licking their paws and passing them over the ears, but I guess some cats mightn't have learned to clean their ears properly.

Coaster,

That's a GREAT idea!!!

Thanks!! We'll be watching for an adoption announcement, right?

Thanks for the info! I will make sure to never cut them if my clients request it done.

Minou

p.s. I always do the rounding on the outside of Persian/Himy's ears

This is a recent story, though the problem has spanned months and months.  My cat was always shaking his head and scratching his ears.  He would not like me to fully pet his head from front to back but would really want me to rub his ear at the base very hard.  I looked inside several times, cleaned them out if necessary, but his annoyance never stopped.  I took him to the vet and he only looked inside with his scope.  I begged him to take a culture and look under a microscope, as I have dealt with scabies in the past (not this cat), but he said that they looked a bit red but perfectly healthy and the blood tests would suffice.  I was a bit angry at this and my cat's annoyance continued.

One day I felt so bad for him that I looked again and noticed that the hair was just tickling the other side of his ear.  I took real hair cutting scissors and just snipped it off in each ear about half way...it then sat flat.  He didn't mind one bit, but he has always been a sweet and funny loving cat.

He has been a DIFFERENT CAT.  He is SO happy that he refuses to be anywhere but where I am, and touching me at all times.  He is licking my face, and playing more.  He now allows me to pet his whole head front to back with no problem and does not ask me to rub his ears.

Ummmm...you be the judge, does a cat NEED it's ears trimmed??

Oh, by the way....my cat is a domestic short hair that I plucked out of an alley after volunteering with Alley Cat Allies on a sweep.  He is ear tipped in one ear but both ears caused him problems and I don't think that this was a factor.  He has pretty thick coarse hair.  As far as balance, after cutting the inside hair he seems to have a better grasp on his surroundings.  He is now sleeping deeply with his head lying off pillows and dreaming with twitches, quite comfortable.  He is also much quicker in his movements.  So if balance is affected by the hair, that may not mean that more hair means better balance...just a thought.