15 year old muffin has a serious ear problem

rosrock2000

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I went to the vet a few months back(cheap vet) and she took out a sample and put it through a microscope and said it wasnt ear mites. Theres blue bumps and little black areas on the bed of the ear and I thought black indicates mites from what ive read but apparently not since the vet says not. She shakes her head whenever she jumps down or when you accidentally brush on it. The ear is sensitive for sure. I feel so bad because I feel like its only going to get worse and im broke and my parents dont care at all so its tough. Im starting to wonder if whatever she has will eventually get into her head and start inflicting REAL pain or what. But for the most part she pretty much just sleeps and relaxes comfortably from what i can tell. Even though i do see her "thinking" sometimes. Basically im wondering at what point is it time to say ok, its time muffin, youve lived a good life and i wont let you suffer. But were not there yet, thats just if i notice her "thinking" steadily very often or start to scratch. O yes, and before this she had a bad case of fleas for a few months, till one day i saw one going across her nose and we got topical and they came off immediately. But im wondering if her immune was weakened or if that could have led to this ear problem in some way. Any judgements on the pics would be much appreciated and muffin thanks you a lot as well.
 
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rosrock2000

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O yes, and ive been giving her nano silver(spray and drink) for a few weeks now and that hasnt seemed to help much. 
 

sarah ann

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That looks like an ear infection to me. Usually you can buy an over the counter ear cleaner. You squirt some in the ear and use tissues to clean the ear out. I would get a 1 ml syringe and fill it half full and squirt it in the ear.  Otherwise you are going to have a struggle especially if the cat sees the bottle coming! Hence the syringe.

 Ear infections are often secondary to allergies.
 
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rosrock2000

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I cleaned her out her today the the best of my ability (she was fighting me). Sprayed it with water then I got a few patches of black greasy stuff out with cutips. The deeper I tryed to go the more she resisted and cryed, especially when I get near the blue spots in her ear. Any other suggestions on what this might be? Thx
 

catwoman707

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She needs to be seen by a vet, sorry, I know you have money issues, but this doesn't look like some common easy fixable thing here.

She needs to be seen by a real vet, since the other cheap vet only tested for earmites but that was it.

Leave them alone and take her to see a caring vet. Cleaning them is only going to upset her and not help get to the root of the problem.
 

jennyr

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:yeah:

I would just like to add, for anyone who may be reading this, that it is not a good idea to use ordinary q-tips in a cat's ear - it is too easy to push them in too far and damage the ear-drum. You can get extra large vet quality q-tips, but I would advise using balls of cotton and for anything you can't reach it needs professional attention unless you really know what you are doing.
 

Winchester

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A bad ear infection is serious. It's good that she doesn't have mites, but she needs to be seen so that she can get the proper antibiotics to clear the infection. A severe ear infection can lead to deafness. 

We have a kitty who had one of the worst cases of mites our vet had ever seen. (Yes, I know your cat doesn't have mites). The mites infestation led to an bad ear infection and, even with treatment, she did lose part of her hearing. And to this day, she walks around with her head tilted a little bit because the infection created balance issues with her.

I know you said you have money problems right now, but an ear infection is serious stuff. Not to mention the pain your cat is trying to deal with. 

I wish you the best of luck.
 

sarah ann

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No cutips! Use a tissue to clean it. Water is not going to help. It is only $5 or so to buy earcleaner.

A vet visit and antibiotic ointment would be best.
 

mservant

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@rosrock2000   I am sorry you don't have confidence in the vet you took Muffin to see, and that she has now developed these darker areas and what look like little lumps or spots in her ear.  Also that your funds for vet care are limited.  However I am very worried that Muffin will be in serious pain with this:  the ear and ear canal where these dark areas are visible is a very sensitive area and even a slight swelling is extremely painful - if you have ever had a tiny spot in your ear, or had an ear infection you will know how bad it feels.  Cats hide their pain well and her seeming reasonably well other than shaking her head is not an indication that she is not in pain.

I don't know a lot about this nano silver spray but esp as it has not seemed to help - Please, please take her to a vet ASAP to have this looked at by a professional who will have the right 'tools' to see what is going on properly, clean her ear if this is appropriate, and give her pain relief if this is needed.   There are some easily remedied things that this might be, and others which could be more serious and if Muffin does not get to a vet she will not get the help she needs and could become very seriously ill in a short space of time because of how complex the inner ear is and (as you have said) the proximity of the ear to the brain.  
 
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rosrock2000

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would you be willing to talk to the money makers of my house on the phone for a minute or 2? Because I tell them about it and they won't even care to look and my dad who walks down to the basement every morning sees her as she likes to get her food and water refilled and he sees her "walking normally" so everythings alright.... PM me

Lets put it this way..... if this were ace my dog o hed have seen the vet a few months back
 
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rosrock2000

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ok, good news, just talked the mother into it and read off the responses you guys gave me. She'll be going in for a checkup at the vet soon enough! Post more later
 

mservant

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Good for you, advocating for Muffin.  I hope your mom can get an appointment and you get some helpful advice and something to make sure your cat isn't in pain.   Let us know how things go.  
 
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