An important, but often overlooked, part of any cat’s health routine should be inspecting their ears on a weekly basis. For most cats, ears will only have to be cleaned every once in a while; however, inspecting them often will ensure you can find any infections or mites early on.
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There are some cats who will happily sit in your lap while you clean their ears, but others may put up a bit of a fight. It is important that you don’t give up on this process.
Common Cat Ear Issues
Some of the most common ear issues seen in cats include:
- Allergies
- Yeast, fungal or bacterial infections
- Ear mites
Be sure to make ear cleaning a part of your routine, too. You can make sure this is a positive experience for your cat by using treats.
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How to Clean Your Cat’s Ears
If you want to successfully clean your cat’s ears, make sure to use the step by step process found here:
- Get all your tools and supplies ready. You will need lukewarm water, cotton balls and an ear cleaner.
- Put the cat on a table or in your lap. If your cat doesn’t like this process, ask for help.
- Hold the tip of the cat’s ear between your forefingers and thumb and then gently fold it back so you can see a part of the inner ear.
- Look in the ear for any signs of discharge or redness. It is normal to see light brown wax; however, any red or black discharge or signs of pus will indicate an infection.
- Easily wipe the interior of the ear with ear wipes, a damp cotton ball or a damp soft cloth.
- If you notice a large amount of debris or wax in the cat’s ear, you should use an ear cleaner and massage it into the ear to help it reach the proper location.
- Wipe out the interior of the ear with a cotton ball in order to remove any excess cleaner.
- Seek veterinary care or advice if the ear is infected.
If you use the tips here, you will be able to keep your cat’s ears clean and ensure they don’t have any serious issues.
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Oh this is so helpful for people with cats. Im horribly allergic but my dad has one! Ill send him this
I never realized that cleaning a cats ear was important! I just assumed that cats cleaned themselves? But thank you for explaining this!
Great advice! I had no idea an ear cleaning could be done at home! This could really save cat owners a lot of time and money.
I check my cats’ ears quite frequently. Aside from the occasional ear infection, neither has had any major problems so far. Great tips!
Oh this is so helpful for people with cats. Im horribly allergic but my dad has one! Ill send him this
This is helpful! I really need to do this for my cats. It sounds like it could be pretty easy.
I never realized that cleaning a cats ear was important! I just assumed that cats cleaned themselves? But thank you for explaining this!
Great advice! I had no idea an ear cleaning could be done at home! This could really save cat owners a lot of time and money.
I check my cats’ ears quite frequently. Aside from the occasional ear infection, neither has had any major problems so far. Great tips!
This is helpful as our cats are 3 and 4 and i have never cleaned theirs. I was not sure if you should or how to. Thanks!
This is helpful! I really need to do this for my cats. It sounds like it could be pretty easy.
My dog had chronic ear infections, and keeping them clean was really important. I’ve never tried cleaning a cat’s before, but it sounds like a necessary task that is too valuable to skip.
This is helpful as our cats are 3 and 4 and i have never cleaned theirs. I was not sure if you should or how to. Thanks!
Yes it is so important to do it carefully. God forbid you hurt the kitty’s ear!
My dog had chronic ear infections, and keeping them clean was really important. I’ve never tried cleaning a cat’s before, but it sounds like a necessary task that is too valuable to skip.
Yes it is so important to do it carefully. God forbid you hurt the kitty’s ear!