Smelly ears on my kitty

[jasperlou]

Hello,

My cat, Jasper Lou, has had some very smelly ears and has been scratching and shaking his head quite a bit. It doesn't seem to be hurting him at all but I'm quite worried. He's an indoor cat but we do have 3 outdoor cats, I can also see some black/brown dry looking stuff in both ears. I've made him an appointment for tomorrow but I wanted to know what it could be so I stop freaking out. Thanks!

 

[donutte]

I'm sure there are many causes but the only time I've had a cat with really smelly ears, it was my Tiger who had a benign tumor in his ear. The first time we noticed it he was living with my sister, and I hadn't seen him in awhile and he had a huge lump on his face! The next two times we noticed it primarily because of the symptoms you just mentioned. Especially the third time - Tiger literally just got on my lap and omg, the smell was soooo bad. Off to the vet the next day for the third (and thankfully final) removal.

Am NOT saying that is your case, just saying that is what it was in my case. It's entirely possible he just has dirty ears, although I've never personally had a cat's ears smell bad just because they are dirty.

 

[Anne]

Bacterial infection can certainly get smelly too. The thing is, it can be a secondary infection to something like ear mites. Even if your cat isn't in pain, this has to be very uncomfortable for him. You have to get him to the vet who can check his ears, take a sample if needs be, and match the right treatment to the cause. Do not try to treat this yourself with OTC antibiotics as he may need earmites treatment or it may be something more serious. Good luck and let us know how he's doing!