How do I clean my cat’s ears?

Our question this week was:

My cat’s ears so dirty and they have worms inside. The doctor has given my cat drops for the ears and a lot of dirt is showing in my cat ears. How should I clean my cat’s ears.

Thank You,

Maysoon

Answer

Hi – thanks for your email. Worms in ears is not normal so they should go away with the ear drops. I’m guessing you mean ear mites when you say worms. The basic technique for cleaning ears is:

• Restrain your cat. Wrap your kitty in a large thick towel with just her head exposed. This will keep her from wriggling out of your grasp or scratching you.
• Clean the ear lobe. Using a cotton ball moistened with water, gently rub the large pieces of dirt, wax and debris off the ear lobe. Repeat on the opposite ear.
• Clean the cartilage of the ear. After most of the debris has been removed with the moistened cotton ball, use a cotton tip applicator (Q-Tip®), moistened with water, to gently remove the pieces of debris trapped within the cartilage of the ear. Be very careful not to place the Q-tip down the ear canal. This will stimulate head shaking and can lead to ear trauma.

It is safest to clean only the parts of the ear you can see. If there is significant wax just inside the ear canal, you can briefly place the tip of the Q-tip into the ear canal to remove the debris. However, this is most important: You should ALWAYS be able to see the cotton tip of the Q-tip.

After cleaning ears, it is a good idea to offer a treat. This will help make the next ear cleaning session a little smoother.

An article that might be helpful to you is Ear Mites in Cats.

Best of luck!

Dr. Debra