"Wax Factory"

The ladies and I went to the vet yesterday for their annual checkup and vaccinations...... Both Brownie and Skyy were very healthy.

BUT, they both have wax in their ears. Brownie was rated a "5 out of 10", and we're supposed to use the ear stuff (I can never remember the name but it's the white plastic bottle and smells like isopropyl alcohol and maybe menthol)...

But, Skyy was described as a "wax factory" and a "9 out of 10"......
So, we've got the little bottle of medication we're supposed to use every other day. Last fall the vet cleaned a "big" wax plug out of Skyy's ears. And she's got a lot of wax again. The vet says there's no inflamation but we're going to need to use the medicine and ear drops from now on since sedating Skyy and cleaning out her ears isn't a lasting solution...

Unfortunately, now BOTH cats are mad at us 'cause they HATE getting ear drops.

Anybody in here have any good ideas to make this less traumatic - both for the cats and us, since we both now smell like cat ear solution.....

Only advice I've got is how to go about holding them in a way so that they can't get away.

Push them down into a laying position so that they are facing away from you. Get down onto your knees with the cat inbetween your legs. Cross your feet behind you, effectively making a barrier so the cat can't scoot out backwards. Use one arm to put under their chin to hold them back and then use that same hand to hold the ear open while the other administers the drops. If you have another person to help you, they can put in the drops while you hold.
Good luck...

I haven't tried that method for holding... We use a bath town and wrap the cats (one at a time) in it... I hold while my wife administers.... Your method may make it easier to keep the head immobile...

I had a cat who had a severe wax build up problem. I would have her ears cleaned and flushed annually during her dental cleaning. I never put drops in her ears unless it was because she had mites or an ear infection. You might want to talk to your vet about the wax possibly being a result of airborne allergens and addressing it that way as well.

Captain too has an ear problem. He has a polyp in his left ear and major wax problem there as well. It got to the point where there was a very smelly liquid in that ear.

We went to the vet and got some special drops and also some ear washing liquid. Now we wash one day and put drops in the next. Repeat ad infinitum.

Linda hugs him from behind on the kitchen table and I hold his head with my left hand and administer with my right. Linda talks to him the whole time and he gets lots of kisses and rubs during and after.

He permits the drops and does not like the cleaning, but is still very gentle about it. When the cleaning is over her runs down stairs for a few minutes.

But - the ear is getting better - less junk coming out when I clean it. I guess this is how we spend the rest of our time together - and he is only three.

But he is worth it! As I type this I am getting head butts and I have to keep looking around him to see the screen.

Rik

I've found that adding flax meal to Ziggy's wet meals have SIGNIFICANTLY decreased his wax overproduction. You could also try salmon oil or some other fish oil. In humans, excessive wax production is association with essential fatty acid deficiency, so I would guess that would be true in cats as well.

As for the drops---I've had much better luck simply saturating a cotton swab with the drops, then doing a quick, firm swipe in the ear. It's much less annoying to the cat.

We tried the table thing tonight. I held the cat, controlled the head, and Pat did the ear drops. Neither of them likes it, but they're pretty tolerant. We do the same thing - lots of talking and chin rubbing and trying to let them know we're NOT trying to torment them...

Fortunately, Skyy doesn't have any polyps or anything, and the wax isn't smelly or anything. But I suspect it gets itchy, just like in humans. So, for her, we're using the medication right now for the next couple weeks.

For Brownie we just use the alcohol smelling ear wash.....

The medication comes in a small bottle with a long snout. It goes into the ear pretty well. We're going to start putting the ear wash in an empty one 'cause it's got to be easier to put in that way...

I may also try warming the stuff since MAYBE it's the cold liquid they don't like.

We'll come up with something since they're only 4, so we're going to be doing this for a while.

I like the idea of trying some fish oil to see if that'll help.