So, my cat earâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s has been bothering him. Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve taken him to the Vet and she exclaimed there is nothing wrong with his ears. I told her heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s always aggressively scratching his ears and shaking his head. So I said surely there must be some then wrong and she said it was just an itch. Then I proceeded to ask her about cleaning his ears she said to just use a q-tip and Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m not comfortable with using a q-tip for regular cleaning and I want to use some then more effective because Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m thinking maybe the wax in his ear is causing him problems. Can anyone provide me with advice or help? What do you think?
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Can I have a little help… ear issues?
- Thread starter kisabre
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Sounds like she didn't even check his ears for ear mites. Wax may cause it. Have you taken a q-tip and seen what comes out?
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- #3
She just look at his ears with her bare eyes saying he doesn’t have ear mites and there’s nothing wrong with his ears because his ears were absent of the little coffee granules like matter. I have used the q-tip and IMO his ears are plain dirty, well waxy I think but the Vet didn’t see anything wrong.
If its just wax, then you need to check and clean them a few times a week - some cats produce a lot of wax. I know my rexes would have a lot build up cause they don't have the ear hair like other breeds.
As long as its not black stuff (ear mites) you are ok.
As long as its not black stuff (ear mites) you are ok.
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Q-Tips are dangerous, if a cat shakes his head while the tip is in there, it can really cause problems. Take some olive oil and a cotton ball, dip the ball in the oil then roll the ball up to look somewhat like a pencil tip, gently instert the tip(make sure it is a blunt pencil tip, not a sharp one) and gently roll the cotton around the ear canal. It could be that water got in the cat's ear (if you use a spray bottle for discipline) it could even be a spider. If the ear smells like yeast then chances are it is yeast.
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- #6
Thanks hissy… I will try out your advice and I don’t use water or the spray bottle as a discipline. But I think my mother has thrown water on him in that past and sometimes when he shakes his ears liquid comes out although I don’t know if that’s still happening but his ears has absolutely no smell and I just look at them and they’re not as dirty as I originally thought and I just got a hole in my shirt from him just now from trying to check his ear and it wasn’t because his ears hurt or anything like that (and I am not happy). And sometimes he whimpers when he scratches his ears or shakes his head and I just want to relief any discomfort he may have with his ears and I’ve already tried the vet route with no success.
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I'm sorry, I forgot to add to be sure to squeeze most of the oil out of the cotton, don't leave it dripping.
I know some say its dangerous about the q-tips, but if you hold the ear still and head still you can use them - I've used them on ever cat I've owned and no one ever had a problem. Maybe some think you just stick it in - I fold back the ear and hold the head still - they can't move.
Besides the cat's ear drum is a lot more protected then a human ear drum - its more dangerous to use a q-tip in a human ear
Besides the cat's ear drum is a lot more protected then a human ear drum - its more dangerous to use a q-tip in a human ear
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- #10
I considered an possible allergy but then I thought maybe if it was an allergy why is it only isolated to his ears. But maybe his ears just need a cleaning although it’s not too visibly dirty but only because cat’s ears are vulnerable since the ear canal is widely open, things such as dust or what not can easily enter. Can anyone suggest an ear cleaning solution that may be worth trying?
And I don’t feel q-tips are dangerous. I just feel they may not be as effective as other alternatives.
And I don’t feel q-tips are dangerous. I just feel they may not be as effective as other alternatives.
Sometimes that's how it manifests, i don't know why. Ears are self-cleaning (generally speaking) and if you don't see visible build up, that's probably not it. Worth a try though i suppose, just be careful not to overclean, some wax is necessary for the normal functioning of the ear.
I don't think your vet did a proper examine. I recently took Coco in for the same problem and the vet cleaned her ears throughly including sniffing the swap to check for for infection and used that ear examining scope thingy (don't know what it is called) to look deep in her ears.
Just as in humans, the ear, nose, & throat are all connected. Lots of times in humans when your ear itches, it's because of allergies. When my cats' allergies act up, I often see them rubbing their ears and eyes.
I also have a cat who produces a lot of wax. I wipe out her ears frequently. Last year, however, the vet did a thorough cleaning and ear wash while she was under having her teeth cleaned. He put some kind of goopy medicine in her ears, too. She's not had an ear infection since, and her ear wax production has decreased as well. He figures the allergies triggered the ear wax production.
I'd either take the cat to a 2nd doctor or take her back to the first doctor and ask for a THOROUGH ear check. I'm not sure you can diagnose ear mites just by looking.
Stephanie
