Anyone else have a waxy-eared kitty?

[catlover1717]

I have two cats who spent their first two months of their lives as barn kittens. They both had ear mites and then mild secondary yeast infections caused by the mites. I think they might have had worms too, can’t recall. All treated - those gross bugs are long gone.
Thing is, they’re still fairly waxy-eared.No redness, no strange smells coming from said ears, no unusual itching. They just have dark brown ear wax. I see so much conflicting info out there on whether this is a “problem” or not. For example, I read one article that said numerous cat ear infections are caused by excessive wax removal attempts/cleaning by owners, and that the ears should largely be left alone. This matches up with the newer recommendations that human beings should stop using q-tips and basically leave their ears alone, as earwax has a purpose. But then some other articles will argue cat ears should be cleaned regularly and wax should essentially be nonexistent.

If these guys tolerated it I might just gently clean them every once in a while. Sadly they find even cotton balls and little gentle wipes terrifying. I am not exaggerating with the T word there. I think because their initial rescuers were too aggressive treating their initial problems? So even the most cursory of ear cleanings is traumatic for them. If this is largely a cosmetic issue (as in it looks a little icky but is causing zero issues), the trauma isn’t worth it. These aren’t show cats that need to be pristine.

Thoughts, fellow cat owners? Similar experiences?

 

[catloverfromwayback]

Sounds like leaving their ears alone is your best bet, at least at the moment, as it’s so distressing for them. I had a rescued alley cat kitten many years ago who had the ear mites (along with fleas and worms, of course) and had to have ear drops for them - he spent his first weeks at home with oily stains under his ears. I don’t think he had any yeast infections as a result, though, and iirc I never cleaned his ears afterward - he was a black cat so I wouldn’t have noticed. I’ve wiped my Daisy’s ears a couple of times (she has white ears, so any wax is obvious) but I generally leave them be. Have you raised the matter with your vet?

 

[catlover1717]

Sounds like leaving their ears alone is your best bet, at least at the moment, as it’s so distressing for them. I had a rescued alley cat kitten many years ago who had the ear mites (along with fleas and worms, of course) and had to have ear drops for them - he spent his first weeks at home with oily stains under his ears. I don’t think he had any yeast infections as a result, though, and iirc I never cleaned his ears afterward - he was a black cat so I wouldn’t have noticed. I’ve wiped my Daisy’s ears a couple of times (she has white ears, so any wax is obvious) but I generally leave them be. Have you raised the matter with your vet?

I have. How do I put this politely… They are a very profits-focused office. Friendly and thorough, but everything costs an arm and a leg ($50 just for a nail trim) and they frequently encourage expensive options. She started talking about doing an exam under anesthesia and whatnot. And I’m standing there thinking, full sedation for wax?! With no other symptoms? Wow. Not too sure about that one. They’re happy (albeit skittish) with massive appetites and crazy nighttime zoomies. This isn’t an emergency. I have a friend whose cat died during routine dental work… I’m just not chomping at the bit to knock my cats out because they have ear wax.

I also know messing with kitty ears can cause Horner’s syndrome, so I’m hesitant to be aggressive and make what was possibly a non-issue a real issue.

 

[catloverfromwayback]

I have. How do I put this politely… They are a very profits-focused office. Friendly and thorough, but everything costs an arm and a leg ($50 just for a nail trim) and they frequently encourage expensive options. She started talking about doing an exam under anesthesia and whatnot. And I’m standing there thinking, full sedation for wax?! With no other symptoms? Wow. Not too sure about that one. They’re happy (albeit skittish) with massive appetites and crazy nighttime zoomies. This isn’t an emergency. I have a friend whose cat died during routine dental work… I’m just not chomping at the bit to knock my cats out because they have ear wax.

I also know messing with kitty ears can cause Horner’s syndrome, so I’m hesitant to be aggressive and make what was possibly a non-issue a real issue.

Blimey, that’s even worse than my vet! Definitely not the path I’d take, either, even if money was no object.

 

[fionasmom]

I agree that you are not sitting on top of a huge emergency; however, this might be the time to look for another vet. Start to ask around with those you know, post on nextdoor.com or other social media sites in your area and see if you can find a vet who is not as expensive and not inclined to promote services.

There are reasons to sedate a cat for an ear exam, but that is not usually for the first or second look, and not for a suspicion of ear wax with no other symptoms.

 

[neely]

I agree that you are not sitting on top of a huge emergency; however, this might be the time to look for another vet.

That was my first thought too! And it might not be a bad idea to see if there are any feline only vets in your area.

 

[catlover1717]

Oh, I’m always looking. The other closest vet isn’t taking new patients or adding to their waitlist, and the third closest one switched to treating farm animals only. So it’s either this vet or dragging my screaming, trembling cats 30+ minutes away. At that point I’d rather pay the higher price to minimize their fear.