My cat's ear is bleeding and she's in pain. What should I do?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Smokey. She will need to see her veterinarian as she appears to have an ear infection. The veterinarian will use an instrument called an otoscope to look deep within each ears canal. Redness, swelling and discharge are all signs of infection. Next, a sample will be collected from each ear and evaluated under the microscope. This will determine if the infection is bacterial, yeast, mites or some combination. This will allow the doctor to prescribe an appropriate medication and cleaning solution. I hope this information helps!

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Simba. Poor boy! I suspect he has an ear infection, which can be caused by yeast or bacteria. If he's bleeding from both ears, this is a very bad infection and could constitute an emergency. I would find to a vet to see him now to get this treated. Leaving it untreated can lead to hearing loss. I hope this helps!

It sounds as though Bo is quite uncomfortable since she's scratching her ears excessively to the point of bleeding. While this is not a life-threatening emergency, it is certainly causing some degree of pain and discomfort, which necessitates a more urgent vet visit. It's likely that the ear mite medication didn't work because her issue may be caused by an ear infection with bacteria and/or yeast. At this point, your best option is to call your vet to ask about scheduling an urgent visit. I hope that she feels better soon!

Poor Cinnamon Toast (I love her name!). It sounds like she has an ear infection, and it's pretty bad if she is scratching it until it bleeds. In cats, ear infections can be caused by yeast, bacteria, or ear mites. You need to take her into the vet first thing in the morning. The vet can diagnose if she does have an ear infection, what's causing it, and can prescribe treatment for her. Best of luck.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your kitten. If possible, you need to seek emergency veterinary care. The injuries need to be investigated. He will likely need antibiotics, pain medication and food or sugar to support his blood sugar. In the meantime, you can rub syrup in the gums if the kitten has not eaten recently. I hope this information helps.

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.

I think you may have given a toxic medication to your cat. Many antiinflamatories are toxic to cats and can cause them to bleed like this and become anemic (low blood count). This is a life-threatening emergency and Emi needs to go to the vet immediately to ensure she makes it. Make sure you bring the pain medication and anything else you may have given her to the vet with you, so they can treat her appropriately. I hope Emi can get to the vet soon and she recovers well.