Why is my cat shaking his head after I cleaned his ears? Is it normal?

Hello. The vinegar & water may be a little irritating, or your pet just does not like the feel of any liquid in his ears. Try distracting him with some play time or a good romp & see if he responds this way. Otherwise, most irritations/sensations calm pretty quickly. If he continues to show signs of discomfort, please your pet examined by a veterinarian to make sure there is nothing abnormal with his eas, such as a ruptured ear drum or the presence of any foreign material deep in the canal. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is not possible to know for sure without an examination though this is not uncommon following ear cleaning. It is a reaction to the ear cleansing solution. This is likely going to improve on its own with time. Good luck and have a good night!

Hello. Use a cotton ball to gently remove any excess oil. I would guess that she is shaking her head because she has all these desperate dying ear mites in her ears. Once the ear mites have all died in a few days, she will be fine. But right now her ears are itching & this will get better pretty soon. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

No, this isn't normal behavior. When you initially put drops in the ears of a cat, it is normal to see some head shaking and itching for a short period of time, but it should not continue for 20 minutes. This suggests that the Johnsons ear drops are irritating their ears, and I would not use it again. I would take them both into the vet. Cats naturally produce a little bit of ear wax, but a build up of it indicates an ear infection. Ear infections in cats are caused by ear mites, bacteria, or yeast, so the cause needs to be diagnosed in order for the cat to be treated correctly. I would take both of them into the vet on Monday. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Poor Toby! He could have a middle ear infection caused by yeast or bacteria that you cannot see. His symptoms do indicate a problem with his ears, and I would take him into the vet today or tomorrow for an exam. The vet can look down his ears with an otoscope to see if he does have an infection, and can treat him for it. It's important to have any ear problem examined and treated promptly as leaving it untreated can lead to hearing loss.

Ear infections are relatively common in both cats and dogs. Some are more persistent than others. As you said, your vet took a look at the contents of the ear to determine what course of treatment might be required. Without a true bacterial / fungal culture, I could only speculate as to what the exact organism might be. The majority of ear medications, tresaderm included, are traditionally quite broad spectrum in an attempt to cover as many bugs as possible. The reason Fatboy is shaking his head is likely a combination of both the drops and the discomfort associated with the infection. If after six days of effective treatment, you are not seeing any improvement at all, you might want to call you vet and let him know. He may want to obtain a new sample to see if any progress is being made. If not, a true culture could be sent out to better target his therapy and change medications if needed be.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is probably behavioral, not medical. As the outside air hits him he shakes as we do, in stretching, in the morning. Dogs also shake their heads out of excitement. My dogs shakes his head and body EVERY TIME he gets up and A LOT when excited. It is normal for him and he's never had an ear infection. Stone is normal to be shaking his head when he goes outside. Have a great day!