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My cat has high calcium and ear infection. What are the next steps?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Mediumhair | Female | spayed | 5 years and 8 months old

So this is my tuxedo cat with her blood test results, the vet told me she has hypercalcemia but I don’t trust her because I live in Saudi Arabia and a good vet is hard to find, so I think there’s something else triggering high calcium in my cat? Can you please check on the blood test result and give me a feed back ? Also my cat has ear infection (my vet failed to see that) whenever she shakes her head water drops from her ears, what can I do to treat it ? Do I need to take her to another vet?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on September 4th, 2020

Hi and thanks for your request.
Neoplasia, chronic renal failure (CRF), and idiopathic hypercalcemia are common causes of elevation of Calcium levels.
The approach to this problem with elevated Ca++ I would recommend is:
- repeat the blood test and analyze the ionised Ca++ (which can give you a reliable information about the calcium levels). At the same time I would recommend to perform a urine analysis and determine the SDMA value on the blood which can be an early indicator of renal failure;
- If then this is a true elevation (Ionised Ca++ elevated) I would recommend to perform x rays of the chest and an abdominal ultrasound. This is to rule out any possibility of a tumor, especially lymphoma which is a common reason for this problem.
- Based on these results you can then either treat appropriately or look for other uncommon causes like Hyperparathyroidsm (HP), Vitamin D toxicosis, granulomatous diseases such as Actinomycosis and Criptococcosis, and Hypoadrenocorticism.

Regarding the ear discharge, these are typical signs of an infection and antibiotics ear drops are often resolutive.

Hope this answer was helpful, and at least gave you an idea of the next steps necessary in these cases, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!
Vote Icon1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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My cat is in ER with high calcium. Do I need all these expensive tests?
Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. I’m so sorry to hear about Beyoncé! This may be a good one to open a consultation with us about because there are lots of variables. First, if the calcium was a little high, kidney disease seems most likely and further testing may not be needed. If the calcium was significantly elevated, I start to worry about cancer and it may be worth doing the ultrasound. I’m not sure how long you’re out of town, but it may be worth just rehydrating her to help her feel better and get her stable. Then holding further testing until you get home. Obviously if there is something serious later found on the ultrasound, you may have wished you had just done the ultrasound in the first place. A feeding tube is indicated for fatty liver disease or if she has been more than 3 days without eating. Otherwise I’d probably hold on that. Of course all of these are general rules and I cannot make the same kind of judgements as the vet who is there looking at and examining her. I’d recommend calling that vet with questions and a budget. The vet will be able to best use your money if you are up front with how much you can spend. Hope this helps and very best wishes to you and Beyoncé!
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My cat has high calcium. What tests are needed to find the cause?
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My cat has severe, painful ear infections. Why aren't drops working?
Ear mites and underlying allergic disease (that can predispose to recurrent ear infections) are possible and should be ruled out. A physical and otoscopic examination of the ear canal are enough to rule them out. Bacterial swabs and culture can be used as well to rule out resistant infections. I would recommend to discuss all these options with your veterinarian. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation (where you can post pictures ) if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.
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My cat had a seizure. Vet found ear infection. Are more tests needed?
Hi there. Thank you for using PetCoach. So sorry that Brea is having this issue. Seizures in cats can be very serious. A seizure from an inner ear infection is possible but I don't feel it is likely to be the underlying cause. Usually blood testing is done as a first line test to check organ function (mainly the liver and kidneys). If these organs are not working properly seizures may be the result. I would be a bit concerned since she only has one kidney. An x-ray of the skull may also be helpful in determining if the ear infection has gone behind the ear drum in which case that may need to be opened and flushed. Here is a link to an article about seizures in cats that may give you more information. I hope this helps. Best wishes. http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+2118&aid=224
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Why is my cat's chronic ear infection causing balance issues?
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What to do for my senior cat's chronic ear infection and balance issues?
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My senior cat has high calcium and is losing weight. What's wrong?
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