Cauliflower Ear??

[ArtNJ]

My 3 year old indoor/outdoor has what looks like cauliflower ear on the inside of one ear. There is some mild waffling on part of the exterior, which I assume is deformation due to the swelling of the cauliflower ear on the inside. We never saw any injury.

Did he somehow get ear compression when outside, maybe sneaking through a fence or something, or could this be something other than cauliflower ear? He seems his usual healthy self and it does not seem to hurt him. We have not taken him to the vet because we believe it is cauliflower ear, but its unusual enough that I wanted to come here and ask.

Thanks.

 

[Kieka]

While cats can get cauliflower ear from fighting they can also have other causes. Ear mites, infections, extreme cold, over scratching the ear, and even allergies have all been seen as causes. You should have seen the swelling that caused the deformity though unless it was not directly caused by an injury. Because of this, I would encourage you to have your cat checked by a vet.

While there is nothing that can undo the existing damage, making sure you establish the cause can prevent it from getting worse.

 

[duckpond]

I agree that a vet visit would be the best thing to do. If it is something that needs treatment its normally better to try and catch it early. Waiting can cause unwanted pain, and additional injury to the cat.

 

[ArtNJ]

I just read a link on it. Seems like it is pretty harmless unless its from ear mites, which I don't see any sign of. I guess I'll sniff the ear too -- ear mites are supposed to smell?

In thinking about it, he likes to play in a bramble patch. They get really stuck in the fur, I always rip a little hair out getting them off. My guess is he got some stuck in that ear and went a little overboard getting them out since he doesn't seem to be scratching the ear now.

Oddly enough, it is my other cat that has bad allergies and really scratches at one of his ears. Every summer he gets a squinty eye and does a lot of scratching at the same ear. And the other cat gets cauliflower ear, go figure.

 

[jen]

It would be best to get a vet to swap the ear and look under a microscope. Usually that happens from trauma from scratching the ears to the point where it damages them. You might not see ear mites, especially if they are way deep in the ears. I have never known them to have a smell unless it is a major infestation maybe? I am not sure.

 

[ArtNJ]

Thanks. I'll take him if I notice any scratching. This cat just doesn't really scratch, which is part of the reason this shocked me. No injury, no scratching, we didn't notice anything until a few days ago we noticed the cauliflower ear. This cat gets brambles and some summers (not this one thankfully) ticks, so I always give him the once over, and he kind of follows me around as well, so very surprising to not notice anything.