Nice to be here / ear hematoma problem

Hello, I am mom to six cats.  Four of them are a momma and three of her kittens (now five years old), plus a one-year-old maine coon mix that I adopted from a shelter last May, and the sixth member of our family is a stray boy that I just took in about two months ago.  He started showing up at my house and I was feeding him outside.  I took him to be neutered and found out that he is FIV positive.  I was about to move out of that house and I could not leave him behind, so I slowly introduced him to the crew and he is assimilated now.  He has several problems though and I joined this site to get some help.

Both of his ears have hematomas.  His ears hang down like a puppy's rather than standing up like a cat's normally would.  I have been applying arnica gel but it does not seem to help.  I read about hematomas and it seems they formed from him shaking his head due to an ear infection.  I am applying some ear drops from the vet and his ears look a lot better.  The odor is gone.  The ear flaps where the hematomas are, feel very hot and thick.  I am toying with the idea of having them drained, even though I have read that they tend to return even after being drained.  I think that prior to my taking him in, he was in dozens of fights and this may have also injured his ears.

He seems super sad.  Before I took him in, he would always talk to me, he wanted to be held and petted all the time.  Right now he just stares off into the distance, void of any emotion.  He doesn't seek out affection although I do hold him like a baby a few times a day and I talk to him.  He is very friendly with the two other males.  My three females (mother and daughters) isolate themselves in another room.  I just don't know what to do with this sad boy.  His name is Charlie Brown, because I always tell him, "You're a good man, Charlie Brown."  However, we mostly refer to him as "Humphrey."  If you are cat people, I'm sure you will understand the use of varied names : )

If anyone has advice on the ear situation, please let me know.  Thank you in advance.  

Quote from Pam Charney

... and the sixth member of our family is a stray boy that I just took in about two months ago.  He started showing up at my house and I was feeding him outside.  I took him to be neutered and found out that he is FIV positive.  I was about to move out of that house and I could not leave him behind, so I slowly introduced him to the crew and he is assimilated now.  He has several problems though and I joined this site to get some help.

Both of his ears have hematomas.  His ears hang down like a puppy's rather than standing up like a cat's normally would.  I have been applying arnica gel but it does not seem to help.  I read about hematomas and it seems they formed from him shaking his head due to an ear infection.  I am applying some ear drops from the vet and his ears look a lot better.  The odor is gone.  The ear flaps where the hematomas are, feel very hot and thick.  I am toying with the idea of having them drained, even though I have read that they tend to return even after being drained.  I think that prior to my taking him in, he was in dozens of fights and this may have also injured his ears.

He seems super sad.  Before I took him in, he would always talk to me, he wanted to be held and petted all the time.  Right now he just stares off into the distance, void of any emotion.  He doesn't seek out affection although I do hold him like a baby a few times a day and I talk to him.  He is very friendly with the two other males.  My three females (mother and daughters) isolate themselves in another room.  I just don't know what to do with this sad boy.  His name is Charlie Brown, because I always tell him, "You're a good man, Charlie Brown."  However, we mostly refer to him as "Humphrey."  If you are cat people, I'm sure you will understand the use of varied names : )

If anyone has advice on the ear situation, please let me know.  Thank you in advance.  

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 I am a human doctor, not a vet, but human and feline damage to ears are similar.     Professional human boxers often develop cauliflower ears and this is due to haematomata and traumatic damage to the ears. 

Feline ears also can suffer injury to the ears and haematomata are not uncommon, sometimes with the blood pooling as swellings.  If this happens the blood should be drained, regardless of whether the swelling recurs as the ear can become infected. You should always let the vet make the decision.

Perhaps the alteration in his mood is because he is in pain from his ears.  You should take him back to the vet and ask his advice.   Heat and thickness of the ears suggest that the ear is infected. 

With all best wishes to you both,

Geoffrey

Thank you Geoffrey.  He has been to the vet twice for this issue and the vet said they may resolve on their own one day.  He did not suggest draining them.  I agree that his mood is due to being in pain.  I am probably going to take him back to the vet and ask if they can be drained. 

Here is a picture of my sweet boy.