chronic ear crud???

A friend asked me a question about her cat yesterday that has me stumped. I said I'd look into it.

Her cat has chronically cruddy ears. She has been to her vet numerous times, because the poor cat does scratch at them and shake her head.
the vet found no mites, a little yeast. they have been through
two courses of Otomax and some pill (she didn't say what it was).
She said that this vet sad the cat must have a hard ball of wax in her ear and needs to be put under so it can be removed.

I haven't heard of this before, ad I am leary of putting a cat under when the problem can be fixed w/out doing that.

I suggested she get a second opinion.
Has anyone here heard of putting a cat under for ear cleaning?
or of a wax ball causing chronically cruddy ears?

I suggested that she wipe out the cat's ears daily, to reduce the buildup & hopfully help with the irritation, until she gets another vet appt.

any help is appreciated!

Bendy's mom

she could place a few drops of mineral oil in the kitty's ears to loosen the "ball or wax" This should soften any build up and help it to wipe away.

Yes I would do the same thing Dragon Lady suggested. The vet I go to presently recommended that for my kitty, a couple drops of mineral oil in each ear. It softens the wax and after a few days (and as kitty shakes head) the crud starts working it's way to the outside of the ear where it can be safely wiped away. The ear may look dirtier for the first couple days but it's just because it's coming to the surface

I *wouldn't* put a kitty under for ear cleaning. My kitty had this done at the same time as her spay operation and it messed up her vestibular system. She was dizzy and disoriented for about a week, and had nystagmus for several days. She was a mess and was sooo unhappy. Not worth it for a little ear dirt that the vet says is "hard wax".

Hope kitty feels better

Bendy,

There is a board that is very knowledgeable in these areas. Maintained by vet students and vet techs and cat experts in all areas. They do not pussy-foot around issues, they get straight to the chase. Here is the link: I would post this there if I were you. You will recognize some of them from Acme


help for cats

It's also possible that this cat has allergies. When cats get yeast or bacteria infections that keep coming back, it's usually due to a food allergy.
Also, if they decide to go for an ear cleaning, make sure it's with a respected vet. There have been several times where the vet has damaged the ear.

I had the same problem with Gizmo 2 days ago. He had a whole lot of crud but only in one ear. Anyway I was taking him to the vet anyway to get neutered. The vet told me that it is an inner ear infection. The medicine works after the first two or three days. This is Moe when he was a bit younger.