ear smell

Our Tabby, Sam, has a developed a horrendous stench, which seems to be emanating from his ears. They seem to be bothering him lately. They also seem to have a sudden build up of a dark waxy substance. He is nuetered and declawed but has been introduced to the outside recently and gets along fine. Is this earmites?, can it be treated over the counter? Has any had this occur before?
Please Help, this just began a few days ago. Is it something he caught outside? He is ten and in good heath.

Sammy5

sammy- your cat probably has earmites and needs a vet to do a cleaning and give you some drops. Since your cat has been declawed, I hope his outside exposure is with your supervision? Since he is powerless to defend himself (except for biting) This puts him at a risk for some nasty bite wounds if a tom comes in his territory and they get into a fight, and bites can easily abscess it can be a real mess.

The red stuff in his ears is dried blood. You can take some cotton balls, and warm up some olive oil in the microwave for about 2 seconds, dip the cotton into the oil, wring it out well (no drips) and then twist it a little bit with your fingers to form a funnel. Insert gently into the ear, twirl it (gently) then withdraw and do it again with another cotton ball. Don't use q-tips as you could rupture your cat's eardrum if he startles while you are in there cleaning this out. Or, simply wait till tomorrow and take him in to the vet and have him do a flush and clean.