Just dirty ears or Infection?

[Rooker]

Our cat has been having issues with dirty ears. No matter what I do (clean them out daily and use anti-fungal spray), the ears always get dirty within a day or two. They get dirty so quickly. I hae never seen that happen with any of my other cats. My other cat's ears are clean with some oily and transparent discharge at most, but this cat's ears are always gunky like this. She also gets "cat acne" around her mouth and chin area, so one could say she's a dirty cat. Any idea what it could be? Is it just dirty ears or something more?

 

[tarasgirl06]

Our cat has been having issues with dirty ears. No matter what I do (clean them out daily and use anti-fungal spray), the ears always get dirty within a day or two. They get dirty so quickly. I hae never seen that happen with any of my other cats. My other cat's ears are clean with some oily and transparent discharge at most, but this cat's ears are always gunky like this. She also gets "cat acne" around her mouth and chin area, so one could say she's a dirty cat. Any idea what it could be? Is it just dirty ears or something more?

Well, it's hard to tell and photographs can only tell so much. What do you clean her ears with? Hopefully it is a cat-specific ear cleanser? And have you investigated as to whether she could have ear mites, which are treatable with a cat-specific ear miticide? These are available wherever cat supplies are sold. You might want a vet visit for her if this continues.
As to the feline acne, are you using non-plastic bowls and washing them when she finishes her food? Sometimes plastic dishes can cause this. I always use stainless steel bowls. Others like glass or porcelain. Cats are never "dirty" if able to clean themselves -- they are the cleanest animals on the planet except for marine animals. But it sounds like you may need to ask a vet. Please let us know how she does!

 

[Rooker]

Well, it's hard to tell and photographs can only tell so much. What do you clean her ears with? Hopefully it is a cat-specific ear cleanser? And have you investigated as to whether she could have ear mites, which are treatable with a cat-specific ear miticide? These are available wherever cat supplies are sold. You might want a vet visit for her if this continues.
As to the feline acne, are you using non-plastic bowls and washing them when she finishes her food? Sometimes plastic dishes can cause this. I always use stainless steel bowls. Others like glass or porcelain. Cats are never "dirty" if able to clean themselves -- they are the cleanest animals on the planet except for marine animals. But it sounds like you may need to ask a vet. Please let us know how she does!

I clean her ears with a cat specific ear cleanser (Curaseb) that is also supposed to fight mites: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N4NZNSN/?tag=thecatsite

We also only use porcelain and stainless steel dishes for our cats and we wash them frequently. She still gets the cat acne around her mouth from time to time and I have to clean it to prevent it from forming more.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I clean her ears with a cat specific ear cleanser (Curaseb) that is also supposed to fight mites: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N4NZNSN/?tag=thecatsite

We also only use porcelain and stainless steel dishes for our cats and we wash them frequently. She still gets the cat acne around her mouth from time to time and I have to clean it to prevent it from forming more.

It does say to discontinue use and consult vet if it is not working.
As for the feline acne, I would also ask the vet about this, because usually clearing it up is as simple as using steel, glass, or porcelain and washing them.
I'm sorry I can't be of more help!

 

[Rooker]

It does say to discontinue use and consult vet if it is not working.
As for the feline acne, I would also ask the vet about this, because usually clearing it up is as simple as using steel, glass, or porcelain and washing them.
I'm sorry I can't be of more help!

We do wash the bowls frequently and as I said, we only use steel and porcelain. She still gets cat acne.
I actually discontinued the use of this ear flush since the dirty ears come back after a while. It does help for about a week and then it returns back to normal...

 

[Sajast]

We do wash the bowls frequently and as I said, we only use steel and porcelain. She still gets cat acne.
I actually discontinued the use of this ear flush since the dirty ears come back after a while. It does help for about a week and then it returns back to normal...

One of my girls has dirty ears. Not infected, just dirty. The vet said some cats just have dirty ears and as long as the ears aren’t red/inflamed, they’re not scratching them or shaking their head then they’re probably fine. I use Revolution on my girls so I know it’s not ear mites (also, regular vet checks). I also had a cat who would get acne/infections around his mouth. The vet was never concerned and told me to just dab some peroxide on the area. Totally worked but would still come back like you described

 

[Rooker]

One of my girls has dirty ears. Not infected, just dirty. The vet said some cats just have dirty ears and as long as the ears aren’t red/inflamed, they’re not scratching them or shaking their head then they’re probably fine. I use Revolution on my girls so I know it’s not ear mites (also, regular vet checks). I also had a cat who would get acne/infections around his mouth. The vet was never concerned and told me to just dab some peroxide on the area. Totally worked but would still come back like you described

Yeah, not sure if this is ear mites or just dirty ears... maybe it has to do with how oily the cat gets? Sometimes she has issues cleaning herself too.

 

[OopsyDaisy]

I found this thread while doing a search. My cat Lulu has dirty ears all the time. I know she doesn't have mites. I clean them every other day. My other cat Ash, doesn't have dirty ears at all. I was wondering if some cats just have waxy ears. As long as the vet says they are fine, I guess I'll just keep cleaning them. She doesn't scratch or shake her head. She likes getting her ears cleaned though.

Our late Callan (rescue dog) had ongoing problems with his ears and the vet said it was related to allergiies. They seemed to act up every summer and he would end up with a yeast infection. He had always had it since he was a puppy. Long before we adopted him.

 

[tarasgirl06]

I found this thread while doing a search. My cat Lulu has dirty ears all the time. I know she doesn't have mites. I clean them every other day. My other cat Ash, doesn't have dirty ears at all. I was wondering if some cats just have waxy ears. As long as the vet says they are fine, I guess I'll just keep cleaning them. She doesn't scratch or shake her head. She likes getting her ears cleaned though.

Our late Callan (rescue dog) had ongoing problems with his ears and the vet said it was related to allergiies. They seemed to act up every summer and he would end up with a yeast infection. He had always had it since he was a puppy. Long before we adopted him.

Sometimes ear problems are idiopathic (reason unknown). Our angel Sahra had this, and our angel Suha started having minor ear problems in later life. I used Zymox and also Petco ear cleaning solution for cats; both are gentle and for us, anyway, effective cleaners.

 

[OopsyDaisy]

Sometimes ear problems are idiopathic (reason unknown). Our angel Sahra had this, and our angel Suha started having minor ear problems in later life. I used Zymox and also Petco ear cleaning solution for cats; both are gentle and for us, anyway, effective cleaners.

Thanks for this information. Our vet gave us Oticlean to use for dogs and cats. Are the ones you suggested better?

 

[DreamerRose]

Mingo's ears are dirty like that, and he often shakes his head and digs at them with a toe claw. I've asked and asked the vet about this, and they always say there are no mites. But the last one was new to the clinic, and she examined the dirt with a microscope. She said there was a yeast infection in there. She gave me some drops that have to be kept in the fridge. I'm supposed to put five drops twice a day in each ear for seven days. This is impossible. One drop of freezing liquid in an ear and Mingo is gone. So, I just give him a squirt. It does help with the shaking and digging, but it never goes away completely.

 

[OopsyDaisy]

Mingo's ears are dirty like that, and he often shakes his head and digs at them with a toe claw. I've asked and asked the vet about this, and they always say there are no mites. But the last one was new to the clinic, and she examined the dirt with a microscope. She said there was a yeast infection in there. She gave me some drops that have to be kept in the fridge. I'm supposed to put five drops twice a day in each ear for seven days. This is impossible. One drop of freezing liquid in an ear and Mingo is gone. So, I just give him a squirt. It does help with the shaking and digging, but it never goes away completely.

It was the same with our dog. He hated the cold liquid when he got drops for the yeast. I would roll the bottle in my hands for a bit but it didn't really help much. It is annoying, you're right, it never goes away completely. I think they are either prone to it or not. Once they have it, it keeps coming back. Hang in there Mingo!