My cats ear is full of blood.

I just noticed that my cat's ear is full of dried blood. He isnt acting any differently than usual. I am thinking it may have been caused by my kitten. The kitten is very rough with my cat and my cat is very docile. I tried to clean the dried blood, but it seems to be pretty deep in there. I dont see any cuts on or in his ear. Any ideas?

Ear mites? Is it a brownish color? It could be a lot of ear wax build up or ear mites. You wouldn't actually see the ear mites unless you look super closely deep in the ear. But the ears will look filthy. I would have the vet take a look and clean them out with an ear cleaner and if they are mites, give you some treatment for it. Don't get it from the pet store!

It dark brown, but when I do in there with a wet cotton ball it comes out more red. I am pretty sure it's dried blood. The other ear is totally fine. It's for sure not wax buildup... it just appeared within the last 2 days and there's way too much for it to be wax. I've stuck a cotton ball way in there and I didnt see any bugs on it.

I agree my first thought was ear mites, but that is not likely the case since one ear is clean. If I found that one of my girls' ears was full of blood, we would be at the Vet within minutes.

I say it's time for the vet. Ear tissue is pretty fragile - if he starts shaking his head he could rupture blood vessels and get "cauliflower ear." But it's not a big huge horrible deal - just some antibiotics - but like anything, best taken care of sooner than later.

I would be at the vet's already, but he isnt acting like he's in pain. I shone a flashlight in his ear and i didnt see bugs.

Cats rarely show pain. They hide it. Don't let him not seeming to be in pain fool you. Even if not in pain, an ear full of blood would be a time to get him to be seen by a vet.

Ear mite wax (you never see ear mites without a microscope unless you have superhuman vision) does not turn red when wet. You are right it is blood. And everyone else is right when they say it is time for a vet.

It could be something as awful as your cat is now deaf in that ear from some disastrous ruptured eardrum thing, and it could be just a scrape you can't see, and it could be something else.

Best to let a veterinarian figure it out.

Cats do not show pain, as Jen said, because of their survival instinct. The weakest of any animal, in the wild, is killed by its predators. An animal which shows pain, illness, or weakness is immediately prey. So, cats will walk around on a broken leg or pretend to be fine when they can't pee or whatever. We have to look for the subtlest signs to determine when a cat is ill, because they aren't toddlers, they don't start crying and screaming when they're hurt or sick.

Agreed. Please take your cat to the Vet to have him examined and treated as necessary.

I'll call the vet tomorrow. They arent open right now. The problem is they arent open over the long weekend, so if i cant get him to see the vet tomorrow, I wont be able to get him in until tuesday.

Is it possible that wax build up or ear mites would only happen in one ear? I have two cats and only 1 in 4 ears seem to have a problem.

I'm really hoping it's just a scratch that the kitten gave him.

Originally Posted by Wolvena

I'll call the vet tomorrow. They arent open right now. The problem is they arent open over the long weekend, so if i cant get him to see the vet tomorrow, I wont be able to get him in until tuesday.

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If you've ever experienced any sort of ear issues you can understand how painful even the smallest problem can be. A problem of a magnitude to cause that amount of blood could be really excruciating.
You can get in today if you communicate to them the need.

Is it possible that wax build up or ear mites would only happen in one ear? I have two cats and only 1 in 4 ears seem to have a problem.

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That kind of points to an injury, does it not?

I'm really hoping it's just a scratch that the kitten gave him.

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A scratch would produce a thin red line of blood at the most. You can't see any cuts, say that the blood is "pretty deep in there", so a scratch from playing seems a bit unlikely. Did the adult cat cram his paw in there deep enough that a scratch would not be visible?
You can't write "my cat's ear is full of dried blood" and not expect to be sent to a veterinarian- really. Or were you exaggerating the amount of residue in the ear?

Bleeding from an ear can indicate anything from an ear infection to a skull fracture, or a perforated eardrum or a tumor. Ear problems don't just go away- they get worse. It's a long weekend, you have time today to get it examined, and Murphy's Law says if you ignore it you'll be kicking yourself.
So go in- it's the price of a dinner out and there's really no good reason not to.