Feline Ear Health

Your cat's ear flaps and inner ear should remain free from debris. But sometimes you might find that they aren't. What should you do about it?

First of all, determine whether it is ear-mites or simply ear wax build-up. The distinction is fairly easy to make - ear-mites, while invisible to the naked eye, causes dry flecks of debris. If your cat's ears are simply dirty, and not ear-mites, the debris build-up will look moist and wet. To be sure, maintain good ear health by using preventive measures.

If your cat is on Revolution, it automatically eliminates ear-mites as the cause of debris build up in ears because Revolution kills mites (both ear mites and fur mites that cause mange).

Another treatment against ear-mites is ear-cleaning solutions that contain pyrethins, a natural insecticide derived from chrysanthemums. You can either obtain it OTC from a pet store, such as our (donated by NUS Cat Cafe folks) Biogroom Ear Mite treatment

 or you can get it from the vet, like Ilium Ear Drops (donated by House of Cheshire) -

To clean your cat's ears, use either kind of ear treatments with pyrethins on some cotton or gauze and swipe the inner and outer ear till the ear is free from debris. If you are uncertain how to use cotton buds like the ones shown below (also used by vets) then stick to cotton wool.

If your cat's ears are seldom dirty and no ear mites are present, you can also simply maintain clean ear health by cleaning the ears with simple baby oil and a cotton or gauze swab. Do not use water to clean your cats' ears as they will lead to more debris build-up. Baby wipes are generally safe for use on the outer ear but not the inner ear. 

Some cats just generally have dirtier ears than others, especially those with bigger ears like Oriental breeds. Do make sure that ear-mites stay away, and your cat's ears remain clean, for ear health may deteriorate otherwise and lead to other infections such as fungus. Keep your ears clean!