Normal ear wax?

Hello again everyone 

It's hard to tell from those pics, but I can tell you than brown is the normal colour of feline earwax. Keep an eye on her behaviour, and on whether the wax seems to be getting significantly worse or smellier. Smell and head shaking/scratching are the two biggest indicators of an ear infection to me

If in doubt, see if you can speak to your vet on the phone. They may well be able to say whether or not Iris needs to be seen again just from talking to you. I'll often speak to my vet if I'm unsure whether a visit is necessary, and they're always very helpful

Columbine said:

It's hard to tell from those pics, but I can tell you than brown is the normal colour of feline earwax. Keep an eye on her behaviour, and on whether the wax seems to be getting significantly worse or smellier. Smell and head shaking/scratching are the two biggest indicators of an ear infection to me

If in doubt, see if you can speak to your vet on the phone. They may well be able to say whether or not Iris needs to be seen again just from talking to you. I'll often speak to my vet if I'm unsure whether a visit is necessary, and they're always very helpful

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Thank you! I called the vets office this morning, but the lady had no idea what to tell me so I know I'd have to either bring the pictures or Iris in to have someone check. I was able to get a small piece of it out of her ear last night and neither her ear or the wax smelled funny so that's good. Do they make ear wipes for cats to just clean out the wax? A lady at my work told me to take a damp washcloth and try that but I don't know if the rough texture of it would irritate her ears. Thanks for the help! 

I'm sure you can get cat specific ear wipes, but I generally use a brand of baby wipes - Water Wipes - for all my animals. They're very pure, so non toxic, and are a ton cheaper than pet wipes

Do be VERY cautious about cleaning ears though - it's pretty easy to cause damage if you go too deep, and earwax has a definite function too. Over zealous ear cleaning can actually increase wax production, which potentially creates it's own problems

Columbine said:

I'm sure you can get cat specific ear wipes, but I generally use a brand of baby wipes - Water Wipes - for all my animals. They're very pure, so non toxic, and are a ton cheaper than pet wipes

Do be VERY cautious about cleaning ears though - it's pretty easy to cause damage if you go too deep, and earwax has a definite function too. Over zealous ear cleaning can actually increase wax production, which potentially creates it's own problems

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Awesome thank you! I'm very gentle with her ears, I know wax should be there, just not how much exactly! I will keep a lookout for those wipes!

I'm sure you can find them in store somewhere (don't know where, as I'm in the uk ), but Amazon definitely sell them:- Water Wipes

My cat Booberry can get some stubborn ear infections. He has a little polyp in the left ear. Besides the head shaking, sometimes there is also a slight odor. My vet has me clean his ear out using a cotton ball and simple sterile contact lens solution. I squirt some on the ball and give his ear a good wipe, pulling outward so as not to push crud further into his ear. The stuff is Ph balanced and has no alcohol in it or other ingredients that might irritate his ear.

But if the vet hasn't indicated that you should try to keep your cat's ear clean, it's probably good to just leave it alone.