{"id":612550,"date":"2024-06-21T10:00:50","date_gmt":"2024-06-21T14:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.catster.com\/?p=612550"},"modified":"2024-06-28T00:54:51","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T04:54:51","slug":"how-to-clean-your-cats-ears-dr-karyns-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.catster.com\/felines-weekly\/how-to-clean-your-cats-ears-dr-karyns-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Clean Your Cat’s Ears: Dr. Karyn’s Tips (with Video)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hi, I\u2019m Dr. Karyn!\u00a0Read my introduction<\/a>\u00a0to learn more about me and meet my five hilarious cats: Clutch, Cyril, Alex, Zelda, and Zazzles.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fortunately for us, cats are pretty good at keeping themselves clean, rarely needing any major intervention from their humans, apart from some brushing and the occasional nail clip. However, some cats do suffer with waxy ears, or they may need to have their ears cleaned as part of treating an infection.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m lucky that only one of my cats, Clutch, needs regular aural attention. He has a couple of small polyps on the area outside his ear canals that make him a bit more prone to getting dirty ears, but fortunately don\u2019t cause any other issues for him. He\u2019s also a bit unusual for a cat in that he\u2019s not quite as fastidious about his self-grooming as most other cats! Luckily, he\u2019s quite cooperative with my efforts to keep him clean and tidy, including having his ears cleaned, and even having a bath!<\/p>\n

So with his help, I\u2019m going to talk you through cleaning cats\u2019 ears, starting with why it might need to be done, and how to do it safely.<\/p>\n

Do They Need To Be Cleaned?<\/h2>\n

For the most part, you won\u2019t have to worry about cleaning your cat\u2019s ears, but if you\u2019ve noticed them looking dirty, crusty, smelly, or anything else unusual, the first thing you need to do is make an appointment with your vet.<\/p>\n

Although, like with Clutch, some cats are just prone to waxy or dirty ears, in the majority of cases, if a cat\u2019s ears need to be cleaned, there\u2019s a medical reason. Ear mites, ear infections, polyps<\/a>, and even certain types of cancer can result in discharge from the ears that might be creamy, crumbly, black, brown, or smelly, and different problems need different treatments. Part of that treatment may involve cleaning the ears or applying ear drops, or your cat may just need a regular cleaning regime.<\/p>\n

The important point is that you should always seek veterinary advice before putting ANYTHING into your cat\u2019s ears – the last thing you want to do is make anything worse.<\/p>\n

\"Clutch's
Clutch’s ear polyp<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How to Clean Your Cat\u2019s Ears<\/h2>\n

This is something that will require at least some level of restraint, so I recommend checking out my article<\/a> and video<\/a> about how to safely restrain your cat. I am really lucky in that Clutch allows me to do most things to him with minimal fuss, but not all cats will be quite so compliant. It\u2019s important to be able to see what you\u2019re doing, so you want to make sure you\u2019re in a place and a position that allows you to examine the ears, and if possible, have a second set of hands to help you.<\/p>\n

Always make sure you have everything you will or might need before you get started, because even the most tolerant cat will lose patience very quickly if you have to keep stopping and starting. Your equipment list should include:<\/p>\n

Equipment:<\/div>
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