Stephanie (Long Valley, Nj) on 10/13/2021
The Wholesome Table (Franklin Lakes, New Jersey) on 03/13/2016
My Persian cat suddenly cannot walk and keeps falling all over the place. She cannot find her balance and almost looked like something is wrong with her legs because she really cannot keep her balance and falls/slides every 2-3 steps. After looking it up online what are the possible causes, it was the EARS. She couldn't be hurt any other way since I do not let her outside without a leash on and sure enough when I checked her ears, it was crusty, a bad odor, full of puss-like fluid and overall painful when I touch it because she cries.
Instead of using anti-biotics or other things a "vet" can come up with, I spent a whole day to find a less harsh, earth-friendly remedy. ZYMOX. A Hydrocortisone in a squirt bottle. I bought it at chewy.com for $10. It's $8 in Dr.Foster.com
You do not need to clean or prep the ears of your pet. Do not use over the counter human hydrocortisone. Zymox is specifically prepared for animals' gentle ears without the added stuff what you will find in a human hydrocortisone gel, so it is different! Directly put a good amount inside the ears making sure it reaches the very inside of the ears and massage gently until all drops put in is touching all the walls of the ears.
Apply once a day for 10 days and apply a good amount. I would say it took me a good 3-4 squirts before it reached the inside of the ear canal. I saw a difference by the 4th day. Her balance returned and was not scratching the ears too much. By the 7th day, she was back in business but I still continued applying until the 10th day.
Zymox greatly assisted in lowering the extreme inflammation inside the ears.
I also used CAT'S CLAW BARK tincture aside from Zymox. I put 2 drops inside the mouth twice a day for 4 days, Then lowered to 2 drops once a day inside the mouth for another 4 days. CATS CLAW BARK works as anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-yeast, anti-fungal.. Not to mention the other 100+ useful benefits it does and cures.
Kim (Missouri) on 08/27/2015
Black Magic (Middletown) on 08/04/2014
Jibit (Ky) on 09/03/2013
Trese (San Diego Area, Ca) on 11/15/2012
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.
Nia (Nyc, Ny) on 09/19/2011
Alex (Cebu, Philippines) on 11/28/2009
I have a question about the ears of one old male cat. Since I came in February of this year, he has been hanging around and eating fine. When I first saw him, his ears were bloody, as if in a bad fight. Well, it is 6 months later and at least one ear is half missing and a bloody stub. What can it be?
Donny (Hummelstown, Pennsylvania) on 02/09/2009
Mae (Elmo, Utah) on 12/30/2008
Nimueh (Phoenix, Arizona USA) on 04/26/2007
Don't know if the desert mites here are super-bad, or what. But this seems like a lot of treatment. I agree it seems to be needed. I hope others can solve more easily than I. Just letting you know what I have done. I appreciate the sharing, the support, the idea to find this vet solution - which I didn't hear from the vet...! I will check back. Much appreciation.
Nimueh (Phoenix, Arizona) on 03/28/2007