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My cat has dark nose crusties & dirty ears; why aren't ear drops working?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Male | neutered | 10 lbs

My cat keeps getting crusties under his nose. I can’t tell if it’s blood or not but it looks like a dark brown color. He also has very dirty ears like a dark brown. I don’t know if it’s related. We clean them everyday with ear drops that his vet gave him but it doesn’t seem to be working.

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Davis

Veterinarian

Published on December 16th, 2018

This is common with cats that are getting over an upper respiratory infection. You can clean the nostrils with a warm, damp cloth to remove the crusties and then apply a thin film of Vaseline around the area. This will prevent discharge from sticking to the fur. Make sure you clean out the ear discharge with a cotton ball before applying more medication in the ears. It often takes several weeks for all of the discharge to come out and for the ears to become clean. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for James.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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