Adopting a cat with waxy ears. Is it ear mites or an infection?

Poor Kiara! Normal cat ears should not have any visible wax at all - so if you are seeing yellow, brown, or black waxy material in the ear, this means that she either has an ear infection or ear mites. Treatment will depend on what type of infection is present, so I would recommend taking her to the vet for an exam when you are able to. He/she can take a sample of the discharge for analysis to determine the problem and will prescribe appropriate medication to treat it depending on what is found.

It is difficult to diagnose an ear infection without examining the discharge under a microscope to see if there are any bacteria, yeast, or mites. Based on the pictures, it does not appear to be a large amount of discharge. There aren't any OTC ear medications for infections but you could clean the ear with just an ear cleaner labeled for cats and see if that helps. Clean three times a week for now and then once weekly and see if that gets rid of all the discharge. If not, he really needs to go to a vet for treatment.

A small amount of ear wax can be normal, but excessive build up can be a sign of an ear infection by ear mites, yeast, or bacteria. Without seeing Dionysus in person, I can't say if his wax build up is normal or not. I recommend a vet visit to get his ears checked out. Best of luck.

Hello. This ear looks like a normal, healthy ear with some wax buildup. Ear infections typically will have classic symptoms of odor, redness, inflammation and often discomfort or itchiness. Your cat’s ear looks good, but if he is experiencing any discomfort or rubbing/scratching at the ear, have your vet check it out. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Ear wax can be wiped out with something soft like a cotton ball. Using a commercial ear cleaner that is meant for cats can also help. You could clean out his ears and then monitor to see if it returns. You should also watch for any signs of infection such as itching, head shaking, redness to the ears or an odor. That cut may be from his back claws and that’s good that you trimmed them. Most healthy cats can heal this on their own but monitor it for any problems. Some ear wax is normal in cats but it should be equal in both ears. If one ear has it and the other doesn’t, this could indicate a problem. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Judging from the picture you provided, I see black waxy material and also a tattoo that has been done on the inside of the pinna. The tattoo is likely to indicate that she has been spayed and it is in the pattern of a circle with a linear line through it. That is not a concern at all and will be permanent. The black wax may be due to ear mites or an ear infection though. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine Fluffy so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further!

Good question! I would be concerned as well that a build up of gunk in one ear is an indication of an ear infection, even if you aren't seeing any other signs at the moment. Based on this, I think it's a good idea to have Nick seen by a vet in the next day or two to have his ear examined. The vet can diagnose if he does have an ear infection, what's causing it (ear mites, bacteria, yeast), and can prescribe medication to treat it. Even if it's just an excess build up of gunk and not an ear infection, the vet can give you an ear cleaner such as Epi-Otic to help clean out that ear. I hope this helps, best of luck!