Dirty Ears (mostly Right One)

[Jem]

Since we adopted Lily, she has always had dirty ears. According to the shelter, she has been treated for mites (more than once). When we brought her to the vet they did mention her ears, but simply said to try to keep them clean with a cotton ball.
Well, I'm going to have to admit, that her ear cleanings have not happen in a bit and I noticed she was scratching her ear, so I looked at it. And holy poop, it is ever dirty! I know I slacked off a bit on her cleanings but this is a bit much, and it seems like her right ear is the bad one, the left is dirty but not bad.
Anyway, we are due to get her and the rest of the crew updated on their vaccines, so I'll be going to the vet in the near future, and I'm going to question them again about the possibility of mites or yeast. But in the mean time, I did wipe them out, but the right one has harder dried thick wax in the deeper areas and in the folds of the ears. Can I treat and loosen the wax build up with oil, possibly olive oil? Then hopefully it can be easily wiped out with a cotton ball or she may be able to keep them clean herself afterward. If I can loosen the wax enough, she will also hopefully feel better and stop scratching her ear.
So long story short...What would the best solution be, to loosen the thick hardened wax so it's not as irritating to her, and what is the best way to clean them until I get to the vet?

 

[nunnc84]

How to Clean Dog & Cat Ears

A vet taught me how to irrigate ears. Certain solution. Put in ear. Squeeze ear together work in solution.
Put q tip straight down. Swirl around.
Take out
Repeat
As ears are cleaner
Wet q tip, before putting down there.
Release from towel
Oil may cause infection

 

[MissClouseau]

What did you use to wipe? I have it from a local brand so can't recommend a brand but there are antiseptic, colorless thingies for cats, for skin problems. Safe to use in the ear and to eat. I think they are better than oil. For one thing you know oil also allows dust to stick. I can't wipe Hima's ears more than once at a time, she just walks away so I wouldn't be able to totally clean the oil off. That would just lead to different new dirts.

The vet/vet tech can clean the ears when you are at the clinic though.

If Lily hangs out like my Hima, or if your house gets a fair amount of dust like my house (thanks to the wind and trees around), their ears get dirty no matter what. It's not just ear mites. I'm not sure if it's good news or bad news :-/

 

[Maria Bayote]

One of my cats is being treated for mites, and another one has very dirty ears, so we do the cleaning twice a day using cotton buds softened with olive oil (please squeeze the bud so the oil would not flow into the ears).

Plus there is an eardrop that we use, as advised by the vet, which I forgot the name. I will take a photo later when I get home.

 

[nunnc84]

ear mites will clog up the ears, my cat had ear mites from the shelter.
after her revolution every month, her ears get more gunky than usual; her infection has been gone for over a year.
once they have ear mites, they are prone to dirty ears in my cat's case.
once, my ear was clogged up. I used vinegar down it. eventually I had to get the debrox stuff. amazon and pet stores sell the ear cleansing solution. "otic" is the one you want.
oh, has anyone accidentally stepped on their cat when they got up suddenly? I feel horrible, she is moving ok, nothing broken, she is starting to lay by my feet. I cook, clean, type; all of a sudden I don't know how long she has been there. The vet didn't have any advice for me.

 

[fionasmom]

I had a bad experience with a dog and olive oil years ago, but the key might be as was stated....really wipe off the Q tip after you put it in the oil so it is not dripping. I used too much and it went into a nasty ear infection.

 

[Maria Bayote]

I had a bad experience with a dog and olive oil years ago, but the key might be as was stated....really wipe off the Q tip after you put it in the oil so it is not dripping. I used too much and it went into a nasty ear infection.

Yes, the tips should be squeezed real hard, just a bit of wet enough to get the dirt off much easier from the ears. I have been using olive oil for months with no issues.

After cleaning the ears we use Lamisil ear drops.

 

[lavishsqualor]

If your cat does indeed have ear mites then you need a vet. However, if your cat just has dirty ears I discovered that Zymoz is a miracle. My cat had food allergies and her ears would fill with wax. Zymox was absolutely amazing. DON'T clean the ears though! Just follow the directions on the Zymox bottle. It, coupled with a diet changed, cured my cat of her problems.

 

[nunnc84]

My cat had a recent food change due to constipation. The other brand had lead in their dog food, so I can only guess her food had lead in it.
After the change, her stools are happening. Except she has been scratching at her ears more. When all this happened, I opened up the windows at the same time. After this month's bath, revolution treatment, ear cleaning, nail trimming; I'm watching her. I put some anti bacterial ointment on the top of her head near her ears as well..