My cat's ear is swollen. What's the cause and when should I see a vet?

Hello, sorry to hear about Black. It looks like he has a hematoma or a blood filled ear pinnae. This is typically caused due to scratching or trauma. Things that may cause Blacki to itch would be an ear infection, mites, or allergies. You should have Blacki evaluated by a veterinarian to rule out an underlying cause for this. In terms of the swollen ear it self, there are several ways to address this such as draining and bandaging vs surgery to suture the ear flat. The latter is generally reserved for last resort after draining has failed. This is not an emergency, but Blacki should be evaluated soon to address his ear. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Poor Luna. It looks like she may have created a skin infection behind her right ear. We will commonly see cats create wounds from scratching at areas. I would recommend having her evaluated for an ear infection and to evaluate for any secondary skin infections. If there is an underlying cause for her to scratch that area (ear or other skin problem), you will need to treat that underlying cause first in order to allow that area to heal. I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

The scratch can be cleaned with salt water twice daily (10 teaspoons of salt in liter if water) or diluted betadine or hibiscrub solution. A buster collar should be ideally placed if possible to avoid further scratches.

The most likely cause of swelling in that area is an abscess - this could have been from fighting with another cat or TeeTee may have scratched herself and caused the injury. An ear infection may the cause of her scratching if she is indoor only and not in contact with other cats. Either way, she will probably need antibiotics prescribed by your vet. If the abscess bursts before you take her in (try to go tomorrow) you may see discharge and blood. This can be carefully cleaned with just warm salty water and cotton balls.

If Bessley is scratching at his ear, then I would recommend having your vet evaluate his ear including his ear canal. There are a few possibilities of what could be going on, but your vet will need to examine Bessley to figure out what is going on and what should be done about it. Good luck! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Oreo could have a bite wound and associated abscesses causing the swelling, or have ear mite infestations and be working on aural hematomas. Aural hematomas are fluid pockets in between the ear cartilages and are very painful. When cats have ear issues they often scratch and shake their heads because it makes them itchy and painful. Oreo needs to see a vet to get her on the proper medications to make her feel better. She may need to be on a steroid like prednisolone, antibiotics, and anti-parasitic medication for ear mites, if that is going on.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It does sound like possibly an ear infection. Usually, face swelling is not a commonly encountered sign of an ear infection so if his face continues to get swollen before tomorrow when you can have him evaluated by your veterinarian, consider having him evaluated tonight to make sure it is not something more concerning than an ear infection. In the meantime, try to limit his activity in case he has associated pain. Good luck! I will keep my fingers crossed that everything turns out well!