My Persian cat has dark ear gunk & scratches. Mites or infection?

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This looks possibly consistent with ear mites. If not, an ear infection would be considered likely. I recommend you have him evaluated by your veterinarian so this suspicion can be confirmed and he can be treated for it. Treatment usually result in quick relief. Good luck!

It is difficult to diagnose an ear infection without examining the discharge under a microscope to see if there are any bacteria, yeast, or mites. Based on the pictures, it does not appear to be a large amount of discharge. There aren't any OTC ear medications for infections but you could clean the ear with just an ear cleaner labeled for cats and see if that helps. Clean three times a week for now and then once weekly and see if that gets rid of all the discharge. If not, he really needs to go to a vet for treatment.

If Mau had ear mites or an infection, we would expect him to be scratching at his ears. Since his ears do not seem to bother him and there is no redness, swelling or odor, I would suspect that it is just debris that you are seeing in his ears. You can use a cotton ball (not a Q-tip) to gently wipe away the debris. You should not need to use any ear cleaner or medication. If the debris is getting worse or Mau starts scratching at his ears, I would certainly recommend having your veterinarian examine his ear canals. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Because ear mites cause severe itchiness and can lead to more serious bacterial ear infections it is best to treat Mozart. It is also possible that Mozart already has a bacterial or yeast ear infection as this can look similar to ear mites. I recommend taking Mozart to see a veterinarian so they can take a swab from his ear and determine the cause of the ear infection. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope Mozart is feeling better soon!

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! If he truly has mites, they are not going to completely go away with the peroxide so if the ears get dirty again as before, I recommend you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. If properly diagnosed, ear mites can be easily treated. Best of luck!

It's probably an ear infection, often it cannot be seen from the outside. Ear infections are very common in dogs, it is usually caused by either yeast or bacterial disease. the treatment is usually simple and straightforward, you will have to take Lisa to the vet and get the ears checked, then a prescription ear drops will be prescribed according to the infectious agent.

Poor guy. It sounds like Lucky has an ear infection ad possible ear mites. I would have your vet do an ear cytology (test) on him to determine what kind of infection is present so that the correct medication can be prescribed. Alternatively, you can purchase pet ear mite medication from your local pet store first to see if this resolves the problem. I hope that Lucky's ear infection resolves soon! Best wishes and take care. : )