Why is my cat's ear bleeding after cleaning with no visible injury?

It is definitely an injury but whether or not he did it to himself or it was due to another animal I cannot tell. I do not think there are any bugs there. He may be scratching the ear due to an inner ear infection. I suggest you take DJ to your vet for an exam because is there is an ear infection or something down inside the ear canal you cannot fix/treat that at home. In the meantime you can apply a thin layer of antibiotic cream to the ear twice a day and I suggest you put a "cone" collar on him so he stops scratching the ear and making it worse. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Recovery-Collar-PETBABA-Padded-Elizabethan/dp/B00U7DTNB2/ref=sr_1_3?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1517593656&sr=1-3&keywords=cat+elizabethan+collar Hope this helps. Best wishes.

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

This definitely looks like a traumatic injury (bite/scratch). The first thing you should do with it is flush the wound using a syringe or other dispensing device with warm water for five minutes. This may not be easy, because cats tend to hate water getting near their face. I recommend having someone help you with this and wrapping Dixie in a towel to make sure the wound gets flushed well. Below is a link to a demonstration of an eye flush that shows how to restrain her well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tDGzdUTUdNI Infection is the biggest concern with these wounds; so after flushing, it's best to apply an antibacterial cream to the wound. In order to keep the wound clean, it's best to flush the wound 1-2 times a day and gently wipe away any big crusts - make sure not to scrub the wound, because this can make it worse. Apply the antibacterial cream after each flushing. If the ear starts to swell or have pus oozing from the wound, then I'd recommend she go to the vet for treatment. Otherwise, the wound should heal fine over the next 2-3 weeks. I hope that helps and Dixie gets better soon.

Poor Mishka. Thank you for providing a picture, it's very helpful to me. I would gently clean her wound with warm water and antiseptic soap. To keep her from scratching at it, you can put an Ecollar on her. You can get one at a pet store or make one at home. Keep her indoors for now at all times while this is healing. Do not let her outside, especially not with the Ecollar on. I wouldn't even take it off to let her outside, as she will immediately try to scratch the wound. Keep the wound clean and dry, and monitor it for signs of infection. If you see redness, swelling, warmth to the touch, or pus, then it is infected and she will need to see the vet for antibiotics to treat it. I hope this helps!

As long as it is not actively bleeding and he is not in distress or showing signs of severe infection (weight loss, smell from wound, poor appetite), tomorrow should be ok. I would not wash the wound until you can have it assessed by a vet as ear wounds are notorious for bleeding and being difficult to stop so I would not attempt to dislodge any clot which has formed.

You can clean it the first time with peroxide, then just keep it clean with a mild soap and water. If it is small, it should close on its own. If the ear was split or if the cut is larger than about 1cm then it may need stitches.

I wonder if this is actually dried discharge or debris - sometimes the ear wax and debris that can accumulate from an ear infection can look very similar to dried blood. It's also possible that Gracy has a scratch or polyp in her ear. I'd recommend having your vet examine Gracy's ears in person.