Ear wax in cats

In My Humble Opinion (IMHO)
#1

One of my cats had a hematoma in his ear last year that was surgically repaired. Consequently, he now looks like he’s half Scottish Curl. :wink: He tends to get ear wax in the collapsed ear, presumably because he can’t clean it the way he can his normal ear.

He doesn’t have ear mites or any other kind of irritation – no head shaking or scratching at his ear.

If the wax is there just because he can’t clean it out, is it OK just to leave it there? I can find lots of information on the web about HOW to clean wax out of cats’ ears. I’m just not sure if it is something I need to do. I don’t particularly want to subject him to something he will no doubt not enjoy.

#2

My two boys get loads of ear wax and every time they’re at the vet I ask about it. The vet says that “red cats” - the boys are orange & orange/white - tend to get more wax buildup in their ears in his experience but he doesn’t know why. Just what he’s encountered. And he cleans them out if there’s one that’s really gunked up, but not always. He says I shouldn’t clean them since it doesn’t appear to bother them, and they’re perfectly healthy, because it can compact the wax down into the ear and cause worse problems.

Does that help? :slight_smile:

#3

Indeed it does, Fluffy, because the cat in question is a red cat. Very interesting!