It Might Be Nothing or It Might Be Mites

Welcome to Tuesday’s Cats.com Newsletter.

How often do you look in your cat’s ears? If you can’t remember, it might be time to check. In today’s mailer, we’ll talk about how to distinguish between a healthy amount of earwax and a problem like ear mites. 

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What Do Warm Ears Mean?

It’s been pretty hot where I live in Pennsylvania. My smallest cat, Munchkin, doesn’t seem to notice the heat, but Biscuit has been trying out different napping locations to find the coolest one—so far the porcelain bathroom sink seems to be her favorite.

Biscuit’s coat is really thick, so I’ve been brushing her more often to help keep her comfortable. The other day during our grooming session, my fingertips brushed her ear and I noticed that it felt warm—warmer than seemed normal, anyway. 
 
Upon investigating further, I noticed some dark debris in one ear, while the other looked clean. This reminded me of Bagel, my cat who passed away earlier this year. She endured a lifelong struggle with ear issues, including ear mites. It occurred to me that something similar might be developing with Biscuit.
 
As I waited to get an opinion from my vet, I started doing some research of my own. Read on to find out what I learned.

A Visual Inspection Isn’t Always Enough.

After scrolling through articles and posts on r/CatAdvice, I came to a conclusion that didn’t really surprise me, but it was a little disappointing. Over and over, I read comments from veterinary experts saying that it’s not always possible to distinguish between different ear problems (like ear mites versus ear infections) by visual inspection alone. 
 
I just wanted to know for sure whether the dark debris in Biscuit’s ears was something that required treatment or just normal wax buildup I could clean up myself. No such luck. 
 
With a nearly limitless amount of information available at our fingertips these days, I find it disappointing—sometimes even frustrating—when I’m not able to find an answer or a solution myself. I sometimes have to be reminded that scrolling through Google search results in no way compares to the years of education and training a veterinarian acquires. 
 
There’s nothing wrong with research, of course. Educating yourself as a cat owner is important—especially when it comes to identifying symptoms and then knowing how to communicate them to your vet. 
 
If you find yourself going to Google when your cat is experiencing an ear problem (or any other health issue), however, you may want to check in with your veterinarian first just to be safe. 
 
In the meantime, let’s talk about how to help keep your cat’s ears clean and healthy. 

How to Safely Clean Your Cat’s Ears.

Because cats have erect ears, it’s pretty easy to keep an eye on them. A quick glance a few times a week may be enough to detect developing issues like inflammation, redness, or abnormal discharge. If your cat doesn’t mind it, gently move the fur covering the opening to the ear so you can take a closer look inside.

1) Position your cat so they’re facing away from you and gently restrain them (it may help to have a buddy do this for you).

2) Carefully pull back the ear flap so you can see into the opening of the ear canal.

3) Squeeze a little bit of pet-specific ear cleaning solution into the ear.

4) Massage the base of your cat’s ear for about 30 seconds to distribute the cleaning solution.

5) Give your cat a second to shake their head—this will also clear out any excess solution.

6) Use a cotton ball or pad to gently wipe the ear clean. 
 
For cats who don’t like having cleaning solution squeezed directly into their ears, you can soak a cotton ball in the solution instead. Place the soaked cotton ball into your cat’s ear (not past the opening of the ear canal) and massage gently before wiping the ear clean. 
 
If keeping your cat still is a struggle, ear wipes might be a quicker, more practical ear-cleaning option. 

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A Sneak Peek At Friday's Newsletter.

There’s no doubt our cats are smarter than we sometimes realize, but how far does feline intelligence go? In Friday’s mailer, we’ll talk about whether cats actually know their names and how to train them to come when called.