Itchy ears with black stuff

My cat is shaking his head and scratching his ears. I have taken him to the vet 3 times. They say it is wax build up and go in his ears with a Q-tip. He has one course of antibiotics that did not seem to do anything. Any ideas?

Has he been checked for ear mites? Black stuff and scratching/head shaking could well be caused by them. What does the black stuff look like? If it's mites, it will look like coffee grounds.[article="22384"][/article]

Hmmm, I second that, it could probably be ear-mites. Try taking a cotton swab and flashing a torch onto it, the little specks should move around and they're the mites. Or if you have a microscope lying around you can use that? My Mum brought me a toy microscope agggges ago and that helped a lot with diagnosing Cipher's mite infestation!

It could also be a yeast infection, too? Probably caused by a weakened immune system if I remember correctly? I think you'd best take the floof to the vet though, mites and years infections are pretty easily treated if caught early! Though they can also turn VERY complicated if you leave it for a long time.

My kitty had what sounds like something very similar and it was a yeast infection.  His was caused by a food allergy, he had developed a chicken allergy.  The vet gave me some thick ear drops to clear it up.  If I remember correctly the drops were a combo of an anti fungal medicine and a steroid.