# Cat has dirty ears?



## 0ozma (Sep 22, 2012)

Helpppp! 

My girlfriend's cat has very dirty ears. She thought it was ear mites, but I don't know at this point. She is going to take him to the vet asap if we can't get it figured out.

She gave him Revolution about 3 weeks ago and we have done two rounds of Otomite treatments. None of this seemed to help anything, his ears went right back to being dirty. I can clean them out with qtips and make them look perfect but they just get dirty again within 2 days.

Help this poor little guy please! We can't introduce her cat to mine until we get this sorted out and she is very stressed about it 

Here are some pics I tried to get if they help. Earmites? Something else? There is another cat and 2 dogs in the house and they all do not have any signs of this. Anything WE can try before a vet visit? Medications? We can get just about anything from the shelter we volunteer at, so last resort is the vet.


----------



## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Oozma, my first thought would be mites too...
Are both ears like this?
Does he scratch or dig at his ears?
Do they 'smell?'
How long have you been cleaning them?
IF, he had really dirty ears to start with...the treatment may be loosening the crud from deeper in the ear 
canal...
Is he indoor only?
Some cats, like people can build up wax quicker than others...
But it shouldn't look that bad...
Do you have a 'go to' vet at the shelter, who's opinion you could ask?

If one of my cats ears looked like that after the treatment you mentioned and I'd already cleaned for several days....I'd be going to my vet to be on the safe side!
I wouldn't want to chance an ear infection of some kind!
I hope others will chime in here for you!
Good Luck!


----------



## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

Looks like a yeast infection to me.


----------



## Speechie (Dec 2, 2013)

Yes, that was my thought too, Teddy's ears still had residual gunk for about a week after otomite treatments every 3 days, then they cleared. The vet was able to look at the gunk under the microscope and no living mites were left...


----------



## 0ozma (Sep 22, 2012)

He is indoors BUT this started after he got outside for 12 hours or so once. Its been a while since the otomite treatments and nothing has cleared. Both ears are like that. He does not itch or rub them ever. It looks like wax but it is building up way too quickly to be normal.

Any other signs I could look for to be a yeast infection?


----------



## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

There may be an odor...but maybe not.

Callie had a yeast infection in her ears when I first took her in (she was a stray) and it looked very much like your pics.


----------



## maggie23 (Mar 10, 2012)

dang. do you clean them really well first and THEN it gets this bad again every other day? the outer part of his ears seem very clean. looks like it's only the stuff way inside. i don't know about yeast infections that make ears so waxy or the odomite treatment you mentioned. i just know that when we adopted our angel, her ears were this bad, too. i also cleaned them with qtips when she would let me, but i was always a bit worried that she'd flinch and i'd do some damage to her eardrum, so i switched to just using my fingers. i, of course, always make sure that my fingernails have been trimmed way down and filed smooth so that i don't end up scraping the inside of her ears too much. i can usually get LOTSA good wax out of her ears like this. my pinky finger is great for the nooks and crannies.

i hope if the vet can't give you a solution that maybe just cleaning them with your fingers every now and then does the trick.


----------



## Einherjar (Feb 10, 2010)

Sometimes it is normal to see that in a cat's ears but if you keep swabbing them and it keeps reappearing, red irritation, very dark color- then it might be an infection like ear mites. It can help to use a ear cleanser such as Virbac Epi-Otic(I actually use this) that can be used on both cats and dogs and will help clear debris from the ear. Your best bet is to check with the vet so they can do an ear swab test to rule out the possibility of ear mites.


----------



## Catmamma (Apr 18, 2011)

The pictures look just like the ear mites my calico had when I first got her. The external treatment didn't work well so I had to swab the ears for 10 days to get the infection and the mites cleared up. Also, clean the cat's claws well.


----------



## Catmamma (Apr 18, 2011)

Whoops. I should have typed " swab her ears with medication."


----------



## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Mites can go deep in the ear canal. Nothing to fool around with. it can cause secondary infections. Is the treatment you used an over the counter or one the vet gave you? Your vet can give two Ivermectin shots to clear it up quickly.


----------



## 0ozma (Sep 22, 2012)

The treatments were Revolution and Otomite. Both from the shelter yes but vet supplied. Even if the mites are deep isn't revolution supposed to work well though? Doesn't seem like anything happened after using it


----------



## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Its been my experience when bringing in a cat from outside... no the revolution hasn't worked on mites. Since it is so easily passed around, I always opt for the vet to do the shot. Ive had the unfortunate experience of it getting passed to my own cat. So I never mess around with it anymore trying to treat it myself. 

Even if the ears look clean a vet can dig deeper in the canal and pull stuff out. My vet has shown me the mites under a microscope. Theyre creepy looking creatures!


----------



## 0ozma (Sep 22, 2012)

Yuck. Thanks Merry and everyone  

I suppose a vet visit is in order to verify exactly what it is. Poor guy


----------



## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

It looks more like a yeast infection or just regular ear wax than mites to me. The only cats I've had with ear mites scratched the crap out of their ears and had scratches/blood in their ear canal (but I know some people on this forum said their cats didn't scratch with mites). I guess it depends on how bad the infestation is. Yeast infections are relatively common in the ears. And some cats are also more prone to wax buildup. I have to clean Scout's ears out with Virbac Epi-Otic cleaner at least twice a month. I've never had another cat who had ear wax like he does. I'd take him to the vet - they can tell by taking a swab and looking under the scope if it's yeast, mites or just plain ole' wax.


----------



## gizmothecat (Jun 26, 2013)

i would just go to the vet....


----------



## ezmeray (Nov 8, 2012)

When my family adopted a shelter cat this past summer, her ears looked exactly like that. The vet determined it was an infection, and gave me ointment to apply 2x a day for (pretty sure) ten days. It cleared up. The vet said it wasn't contagious--so we could have her around the other cat, and that it wasn't causing the cat any discomfort really (so that's good, since who knows how long she had the infections..)


----------



## Auroraei (Jun 18, 2013)

Those look like my cats ears all the time. I have to clean her ears once a week with Epi-Optic ear cleaner. She just produces a lot of wax!

She had ear mites once before when I first got her, but the vet cleaned that out and we gave her Revolution. The vet says the gunk in her ears is just wax now.


----------



## 0ozma (Sep 22, 2012)

I can't believe that much could be considered normal. Maybe after like 4 months of buildup, but not when it goes back to being like that after 2-3 days.

I talked to the shelter vet and showed her the pictures and she said she is almost 100% certain it would be a yeast infection if the Revolution and Otomite produced zero results. She gave me some animax ointment to apply 2x\day for 10 days just as ezmeray said. 

It doesn't appear to cause him any discomfort, and makes sense it isn't contagious since the other cat and 2 dogs have no symptoms and they play together all the time. Mites are pretty contagious and he has had this for a couple months, so more of a reason to think towards the infection side. Hoping this ointment does something and all can be settled  

Thanks


----------



## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Sure hope it all works out! 
So you guys can introduce your boys!


----------



## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

ET's ear was probably worst than what I see in the pict, when we 1st brought him home. He scratches badly and I thought it was ear mite. I didn't know how to clean his ear then, so got the vet to check and clean up. It wasn't ear mite and vet actually showed me how to clean his ears and prescribed ear drop. I only managed to do the ear drop something like 2 or 3X and then whenever ET sees me holding the ear drop, he went hiding.

Being a 1st time owner, I didn't know how to handle a cat, I gave up. Googled and read that apple cider vinegar might help, so I moistened a cotton pad with ACV and just cleaned his ear with it and thank goodness, he was ok with that. His ear was cleaned thoroughly by the vet, but yet his ear kept getting real filthy pretty fast. It took many many months, definitely more than 6months before he gets a clean ear. The wax thing still do build up again every once in a while though not really that bad, so I do need to check and clean out that wee bit of wax occasionally with q-tip.

Ya, best to get the vet to check it out and do a thorough cleaning.


----------



## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

Till now, I don't even know what it was, cos vet didn't say much except when I asked if it was ear mite, she checked and said "no" and said it was probably some ear infection. I didn't know what else I should ask, so I just accepted it w/o much questioning.


----------



## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

Auroraei said:


> Those look like my cats ears all the time. I have to clean her ears once a week with Epi-Optic ear cleaner. She just produces a lot of wax!
> 
> She had ear mites once before when I first got her, but the vet cleaned that out and we gave her Revolution. The vet says the gunk in her ears is just wax now.


Same here. My Missy oozes a lot of goo every day!! Once a day when I give her her thyroid meds, I clean out her ear with a cotton pad soaked with my facial astringent (Seabreeze for sensitive skin), or I use baby wipes.....depends if I am upstairs or downstairs. She LOVES having her ears cleaned. She has the herpes virus, as do most cats, but with Missy it manifests itself with gooey ears and corneal sequestrations. The c/s may not happen to your cat, but do a good inspection of her eyes every so often watching for a similar black goo forming on her eyeball, look closely because it could be easy to miss at first. If that happens run, don't walk to the vet for a referral to an animal eye doctor. A daily dose of L-lysine mixed with her food will help.


----------



## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

Auroraei said:


> Those look like my cats ears all the time. I have to clean her ears once a week with Epi-Optic ear cleaner. She just produces a lot of wax!
> 
> She had ear mites once before when I first got her, but the vet cleaned that out and we gave her Revolution. The vet says the gunk in her ears is just wax now.


Yep, same here. Scout's ears get really bad. Fortunately, he actually LIKES getting his ears cleaned.  The Virbac cleaner is the only thing I've found that works really well.


----------



## sonofagun (Apr 21, 2014)

My cat is plagued with this problem - black gunk in her ears. She is about 15 years, spayed female and it is difficult to treat her at home with any ear drops - occasionally, I can clean some of it out with q-tips but there's always more, especially down deep where I cannot clean. In desperation I even had her to a local vet who kept her for a couple of weeks (cost $200+). Initially he said she did not have active mites but was a bacterial infection from having mites (as I recall). I hoped that would be the end of the problem, but nope - still is a problem.

Now when I have had some kind of obstuction in my ears, the best treatment I found was having a doctor/ear specialist actually physically clean out my ears. Putting any kind of drops in my ears would not work anywhere near as well so I'm thinking thats the best way for my cat too but doesn't seem thats what a vet will do (under anesthesia with a cat of course). Anybody heard of doing that?

Another question, I have tried various ear drops and a cleaner but she still has the problem - it's hard to treat her consistently. I am wondering if *hydrogen peroxide* solution can be used with a cat? Anyone know if that is ok to use and would it be effective?


----------



## ischa (May 10, 2014)

Hi there,

This looks like an otitis, or an inflamation from the ear canal. Mites can be a cause, though they are more common in kittens. Usually there is an infection with bacteria and/or yeasts. Often there is an underlying cause, like an allergy an sometimes an inner ear infection (otitis media).

Best is to go to a vet, get the ear cannals checked and check if the ear drums are intact. If so, treat the infection with the right cream. If it doesn't resolve or it comes back look for the earlier mentioned underlying causes.

Hope this helps!

Ischa


----------



## Jenny bf (Jul 13, 2013)

It looks exactly like Kiki when we first got her. Her earmite infection was so bad she was actually almost deaf poor baby. It took the vets and us about 4 weeks of treatment to clear it totally. That included drops, cleaning, flushing the ears at the vet ( like if you have ear wax cleaned at the doctors) after her first week she was suddenly amazed and shocked at the world of noise. I think seeing a vet to get it diagnosed properly and then the right treatment for an infection or whatever would be worthwhile


----------



## sonofagun (Apr 21, 2014)

Again:

Now when I have had some kind of obstuction in my ears, the best treatment I found was having a doctor/ear specialist actually physically clean out my ears. Putting any kind of drops in my ears would not work anywhere near as well so I'm thinking thats the best way for my cat too but doesn't seem thats what a vet will do (under anesthesia with a cat of course). Anybody heard of doing that?

Another question, I have tried various ear drops and a cleaner but she still has the problem - it's hard to treat her consistently. I am wondering if *hydrogen peroxide* solution can be used with a cat? Anyone know if that is ok to use and would it be effective?

Ischa - was your post addressed to me or the OP?


----------



## ischa (May 10, 2014)

Hi,

I adressed my post to everybody interested but especialy the one who started this post. I'm not fond of using (agressive) cleaners in ears. The tend to irritate more than to resolve the problem. When you want to rinse a cat ear usualy you have to sedate the cat. With a antibiotic cream often the ear improves after a few days.

But, again, chronic ear problems in cat nearly always has an underlying cause. You have to treat it in order to improve the problem.

Ischa


----------



## 0ozma (Sep 22, 2012)

Oh this old thread picked up...

It ended up being a yeast infection. Mite medication did absolutely nothing so we administered some cream for a yeast infection daily and it solved the issue. Don't remember the name off the top of my head.


----------



## RockyandLily (Aug 2, 2012)

Lily often has ears that look just like this. She has been tested for mites multiple time, always negative. I have found that yogurt (we use stonyfield plain greek) and a probiotic mixed in clears it up fast (so it is probably a yest infection.)


----------



## Bon (Mar 13, 2014)

Just wanted to add that you should be sure to warm up (to body temperature) any drops or solution before putting it in the cat's ear. Cool/cold drops are extremely uncomfortable! Even just holding the bottle in your hand for a few minutes will help.


----------



## sonofagun (Apr 21, 2014)

As I mentioned, putting MORE stuff (drops) into an ear that already has a problem with "gunk" in it seems counter productive. Always caused more of a problem with my own ears.


----------



## Heather72754 (Nov 1, 2013)

0ozma said:


> It ended up being a yeast infection so we administered some cream for a yeast infection daily and it solved the issue.


And _your_ ears are completely different than a _cat's_ ears. As has been stated in this thread (quoted above, for one), the 'gunk' in the cat's ear comes from a specific health problem. What you are putting into the ear (prescribed by a vet) is something that will solve that problem - not add to it.


----------



## sonofagun (Apr 21, 2014)

Heather72754 said:


> And _your_ ears are completely different than a _cat's_ ears. As has been stated in this thread (quoted above, for one), the 'gunk' in the cat's ear comes from a specific health problem. What you are putting into the ear (prescribed by a vet) is something that will solve that problem - not add to it.


The best vet here in my area had my cat for 2 weeks treating her ears daily and it didn't cure the problem, so how am I supposed to do better myself? Thats why I'm asking about peroxide.


----------



## doodlebug (May 13, 2006)

This is an old thread that got resurrected and now being hijacked. Sonofagun...please start your own thread with all of the pertinent history about your cat...all the details. Also include diet info as high carb food can be a factor in ear issues.


----------

