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Cat With Ear Issues

Posted By Trese (San Diego Area, Ca) on 11/15/2012

"My boy kitty has lots of dark brown or blackish goop in his ears, and as much as I clean them, it's not decreasing. He's not scratching them, and I don't see any signs of rawness or inflammation. He has a weird smell and i'm not sure where that's coming from (though I can wiff it, my nose is not sensitive enough to specify).

I've used a tincture dropper to put peroxide in his ears in the evening. Sometimes following with olive oil. I have also used a diluted mix of baking soda and a few drops of tea tree oil (though I read somebody's post that tea tree oil is poison for cats. Is it?). A few times I used vinegar which has had garlic steeping in it. And I use q-tips carefully to wipe out gunk. Though he will only tolerate so much at a time, so I can never get it all at once. Though of course I won't go down the ear canal, which seems to be completely clotted up with gunk! But by the next evening, there's always just as much gunk in his ears again, as if I hadn't done anything!

I just picked up the boy a few weeks ago, to be a companion for my 7mo-old gal kitty, from an individual who got him as a rescue - neutered, shots and dewormed (though he's had gas, a few rounds of diarrea, and what seems to me to be a bit of a belly, though otherwise appears healthy with lots of feisty energy, a healthy appetite, and I have not yet seen any worms. ). They guessed he was 6mo-old.

Oh, and about his ears, the rescue paper says: "ivermectin(?) in ears repeat in 2 wks". Or that's what the sloppy handwriting looks like anyways. What does that treat? Maybe it's a clue to what it is.

My girl's ears are fine so far, so hopefully it's not something she can easily get from him. They are outdoors during the day, and in the bathroom at night. I haven't detected any fleas at all, in the 4-5 months that i've had my gal.

Any suggestions to what this could be, and how else to treat it?

The food that came with him is good quality, no wheat/corn/soy, artificial stuff, or by-products. But it is kitten food and contains colostrum, and 10% more protein than what I give my girl. Could that be causing his gas and bit-of-belly? I also supplement them with a few spoons of sardines or makerel, sometimes plain kefir, a bit of raw ground turkey a few times a week, and she loves a bit of avocado or raw egg occasionally. Any comments on those?

Thanks! I cannot afford a vet right at this moment, and my immediate area doesn't have much for options anyways, unless I drive out of town. I wouldn't have had the first kitty for this reason, except that a friend pleaded with me that she needed a home right away."

Posted By Om (Hope, Canada, B.c.) on 01/22/2013

"Your baby has parasites - worms cannot always be seen. They damage body organs especially the lungs. Get him dewormed and give him natural meds to raise his immune system. The gunky ears indicate toxins in the body which leave via the orifices of the body. Gas and distended abdomen men worms and they can kill a cat. All the best OS"

Posted By Regina (Bloomington, In) on 08/20/2015

"I took my cats to the vet several times to the extent that of allergy injections that took the life of one.! I keep insisting they did not have fleas they never touch the ground. But I always cleaned their ears before their apppointment the stuff on the Q tip was dark and always came back! The vet told me that cats eat 90% of the fleas on them and the dark stuff is flea feces .I wish I had known that info before all the meds and injection I might still have my Baby Blue. Now I wet the white sink and shake something that they lay on if anything turns red it is flea poop!"

Posted By Melinda (Graysville) on 08/17/2016

"Does the apple cider vinegar have to be organic?"

Posted By Suseeq (Sydney Australia) on 08/18/2016

"Melinda, acv organic with the mother is the best."

Posted By Rockel (Us) on 09/12/2016

"I can only speak for my cats experience here. She has had this recurring black junk in her ears and I have finally had it diagnosed as a yeast infection that flares up every time she has seasonal allergies or eats poultry/grains/artificial dyes. Her skin also gets very itchy and bumpy and she sneezed and sniffles a LOT. Black stuff in the ears CAN indicate ear mites, but this is not the case for my Nelly cat. I had her tested for them and it is in fact yeast. I am going to experiment with using the diluted ACV 50/50 solution in her ears and then *try* it in her food. Though she is so darn picky I cant get her to eat a lot of things. I have narrowed her food down to eating fish only Earthborn Holistic's wet food and give her 250 mg of powdered lysine a day and a light sprinkling of organic nutritional yeast mixed in (extra b-vitamins and tastes like cheese. Vegans often supplement with this). This is NOT the kind of yeast you need to worry about affecting candida or yeast infections. She also gets Taste of the Wild Canyon River with Trout and Smoked Salmon Dry Cat Food for snacks. It is comparatively cheap and made with filtered water and added vitamins. Both brands are good quality. I have had a very hard time finding relatively inexpensive cat food without poultry in them but after much frustration this is what I have found that works. I also use dust free litter made from walnut shells as her skin is soooo sensitive :-( Hope this can help you in any way if you find it is not parasites."

Posted By Theresa

(Mpls., Mn) on 09/12/2016

Theresa

The wonderful Theresa from Minneapolis, MN has been helping pet owners and their beloved pets around the world on Earth Clinic since 2013.

About Theresa

Theresa from Minneapolis was born and raised in the inner city, always wishing she had been raised on a farm.

Her love for creatures great and small began at an early age, starting with caterpillars - which continues to this day, along with an interest in all insects and 'creepy crawlies'.

Theresa's interest in pet health started with a bird keeping hobby at age 14, where she learned from another hobbyist that the simple addition of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) in a bird's drinking water kept fungal infections away; she was able to share this with her avian vet who in turn prescribed it to her own clients; Theresa was surprised to learn that she could teach her vet a thing or two. This important lesson - that each of us can be a teacher - was a turning point for Theresa, and fueled her quest for the knowledge held in lore, and remedies passed by word of mouth. That quest for knowledge continues to this day, as new and old remedies alike are explored. She may not have experience with a particular issue, but she will research it to the best of her ability and share what she finds freely, in the hopes that you can heal or improve your pet's health.

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How To Show Theresa Your Appreciation

If you would like to thank Theresa for her helpful posts, she asks if you would please consider making a donation to one of her favorite local rescue organizations, or by making a donation to help the genius contributor, Ted from Bangkok, recover from his stroke.

http://www.piperslegacy.org/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Get-Bobo-home/1409993732632080?sk=timeline&ref=page_internal

http://ted.earthclinic.com

"Hello Rockel,

I happened to notice this post about your Nelly cat. You might want to try Zymox Otic for her yeasty ears. You can buy it online, and I find it very effective on yeasty ears and it does not sting or make the itching worse during treatment. If the ACV solution is not effective on Nelly, do try the Zymox."

Posted By Rockel (Us) on 09/18/2016

"Thanks Theresa!

I think the ACV is helping a lot. I`ve been putting a capful in her wet food and putting a few drops of 50/50 filtered water/Organic Apple Cider Vinegar with "the Mother" in her ears (though she just hates it! But I don't see any rawness so I don`t *think* it is painful-just annoying) Nelly is now seeming a lot less itchy and her ears are looking better! If I cant completely get rid of the goop, I`ll definitely try the Zymox!

PS, do you (or anyone reading this) have any tips for getting rid of an ear polyp besides steroids or surgery to get rid of it?? That's her sister's main issue :-("

Posted By Rox (Baltimore) on 02/19/2018

"Has anyone ever had issues after using olive oil infused with garlic? I have been using it for three days as we suspect a infection in my cat’s left ear, but on the fourth day we noticed the ear feels a bit hot and is more red than the other. My guess is that by mistake I might have put too much garlic in the oil and maybe that irritated his skin? Has anyone encountered that? Also, foolish me, on the last day of doing this treatment I wiped a bit with diluted apple cider vinegar and then cleaned with the oil, so I possible leaf to this irritation... any suggestions?"

Posted By Theresa

(Mpls., Mn) on 02/20/2018

Theresa

The wonderful Theresa from Minneapolis, MN has been helping pet owners and their beloved pets around the world on Earth Clinic since 2013.

About Theresa

Theresa from Minneapolis was born and raised in the inner city, always wishing she had been raised on a farm.

Her love for creatures great and small began at an early age, starting with caterpillars - which continues to this day, along with an interest in all insects and 'creepy crawlies'.

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How To Show Theresa Your Appreciation

http://www.piperslegacy.org/

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Get-Bobo-home/1409993732632080?sk=timeline&ref=page_internal

http://ted.earthclinic.com

"Hey Rox,

It is possible the remedy is simply not the right remedy for your cat's ear infection. You might consider the Arcane ear formula: https://www.earthclinic.com/arcane-solution-ear-infection-dogs.html"

Posted By Kathy (Nj) on 06/24/2018

"Don't use the garlic. Just don't use the garlic, you will see the difference."

Posted By Melissa (Maine) on 02/26/2021

"Hello, I came across this site looking for help with my oldest cat Chloe. She has a chronic yeast infection in both ears. I've tried the 4 types of zymox. The latest most expensive type seemed to have helped but evidently it's come back.

Now she's sneezing like crazy and she scratches so much her left ear bleeds. Her crying when she scratches just kills me. I'm disabled and live on $900 a month so going to the vet is not a really viable option. I can't or won't do the Apple Cider Vinegar option..that would sting too much. At this point I think I'm going to have to bring her to get a steroid shot and maybe antibiotics. The zymox plus I'm using does have hydrocortisone in it but..i don't know..im at a loss but if there's any advice or remedy, I would be really grateful. I'm so glad these forums exist. It's always nice to have alternatives to mainstream medicine. Peace. ~Melissa"

Posted By Flower's Mom (Pueblo of Acoma, NM) on 02/28/2021

"Hi Michele,

So sorry to hear of your cat's ear issues. About a year ago, my dog, Molly, developed a severe yeast infection in her ear and I treated it with the following. 4 oz. witch hazel, 1 Tbsp. borax, 1 Tbsp. hydrogen peroxide and 1 Tbsp. colloidal silver. I mixed all of the above together and generously applied it with a cotton ball to the inside of her ear several times a day. I hope that helps and please keep in touch as to her progress.

God bless, Flower's Mom"

Posted By Nancy (Ireland) on 09/18/2026

"NEVER IVERMECTIN FOR A CAT!!!

They can have Fenbendazole - very safe. This is from my specialist.

She suggests opening a capsule and sprinkle on food Once a day for 3 days; then once a week for 4 weeks; then every month."

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