How to Remove Ear Wax from a Cat

No matter how zealous your cat is about keeping itself clean, it’s going to be up to you to take care of its ears. Furthermore, if your cat is shaking its head, holding one or both ears at an angle, or scratching at its ears, it may have an ear infection or ear mites. You can prevent ear infections from developing by gently removing wax from inside the ears once or twice a month. Here’s the best way to do this without upsetting your cat too much.

Things You'll Need

• Cotton balls and/or small gauze pads
• Cotton-tipped swabs (see warning at end!)
• Ear cleaning solution – use a commercial brand or make your own by combining a teaspoon of white vinegar with a teaspoon of hot water. For extremely dirty ears, you may want to use hydrogen peroxide instead. You will need a medicine dropper if you are using a homemade cleaning solution.
• Alternative: use moistened ear cleaning wipes (several brands are available at www.petsmart.com) and skip step 3
• An assistant (if you think you’ll need one)

Instructions

Get Started

1. Don't combine ear cleaning with claw trimming. It may seem most convenient and efficient to clean your cat’s ears when you trim its claws. However, your cat will tolerate ear cleaning with less resistance if you don’t combine it with another procedure that she isn’t fond of. A better plan is to check the condition of the ears each time you clip claws, then make a mental note to come back and clean them later on. Before you start, make sure your cat’s claws are trimmed and that the cleaning supplies are within easy reach of where you plan to do the deed. If you are using a vinegar solution, fill the medicine dropper with some of it, otherwise, open the ear cleaning solution so you will be ready to squirt a few drops into the ear.

2. Lift the cat onto your lap, facing away from you. Wrap him/her in a towel if you feel it necessary, or have a friend stand by to assist as needed.

3. Hold the tip of one ear between a thumb and forefinger and roll it back to expose the ear canal. Gently squirt or drop one to three drops of cleaning solution into the ear. Then fold the ear closed and massage the base of it for five to 10 seconds. Repeat with the other ear.

4. Wrap a gauze pad or a piece of cotton ball around the tip of a cotton swab. Moisten the pad or cotton with another couple of drops of cleaning solution, or, if you are using a cleaning wipe, wrap that around the swab instead.

5. Insert the wrapped swab into the ear and gently rub it around the nooks and crannies of the inner ear to remove wax and/or other debris. Repeat with another pad or cotton ball if the ear is particularly dirty. Continue until the pad or ball is clean. Then follow the same procedure with the other ear.

6. Inspect the cotton ball/gauze pad to see the color and texture of the substance you’ve removed. If it is brown wax, fine. If it is very dark brown or black and has a crumbly texture, your cat may have either ear mites or a yeast infection. These conditions will need to be treated by a vet. Try to get your cat in for an appointment within the next few days. If the substance is green or yellow pus or bloody, however, make an appointment as soon as possible.

7. Tell your cat she is a wonderful and noble creature for having permitted such a procedure and give her a treat. Seriously. This will make the next cleaning go easier!

Tips & Warnings

• Do not insert a cotton swab into the ear unless you have wrapped it with a cotton ball, gauze, or cleaning wipe. You don’t want the swab to penetrate too far into the ear canal, because it can pack wax or other discharge back into the canal and actually cause the kind of infection you are trying to prevent. Wrapping the swap will stop it from going too far into the ear.

• If you see a brown/black, crumbly substance in the ear, don’t automatically assume it is ear mites and treat your cat with an over-the-counter mite remedy. Your vet will need to look at the substance under the microscope to determine whether it contains mites; it may very well be a yeast infection and require a prescription for treatment.