Keeping our pet clean is a must, including the cat ears. Cat ears are rarely touched, but they can be prone to wax build-up and lead to ear infections. Though it is not common to clean cat ears, but it is very important part of your cat’s hygiene needs.
The structure of the cat’s ear canal mostly makes it difficult for any trapped material deep within the horizontal canal to be removed without cleaning. If it is not removed, then it can lead to itchiness and ear infections. There are some problems related to cat’s ears, such as yeast infection in cat ears.
How to clean the cat ears properly and comfortably? It is highly recommended to use ear cleaner with good quality. You can also use some cotton balls and some treats for your cats.
One thing to keep in mind, ear cleaning is not a must, instead, over-cleaning the cat ears may lead to irritation in the ear canal and ear infections as well. Most cats have healthy and clean ears and they don’t need to be cleaned.
If you wish to have your cat ears cleaned, make sure to follow the appropriate steps. Again, if you don’t clean it properly, it might lead to infection. So here they are, step-by-step on how to clean your cat ears.
Step-by-step on how to clean your cat ears
- Make sure to sit in a comfortable position, then put your cat in your lap. You can also keep her calm by wrapping or swaddling a towel around her, especially if she refuses to have her ears cleaned.
- Grasp the tip of the ear flap. Pull it back slightly to open the ear canal so that it will straighten the ear canal out.
- While holding your cat’s ear flap, hold the ear cleaning solution by using your other hand.
- Squeeze some ear cleaning solution into your cat ears. Do not use too much cleaner, just use enough cleaner to fill the canal. If you find some of the cleaner spills out of the canal, that is fine. Never ever put the tip of the bottle into the ear. If it touches your cat ears, wipe it with a clean cotton ball soaked with alcohol. It will prevent the spread of bacteria.
- Keep holding your cat ear flap with one hand, and message the base of the ear below the opening for about 30 seconds by using your other hand. This will enable the cleaning solution to break up the debris in the canal. Make sure to hear the “squishing” sound as the solution is moving around the canal.
- Keep holding the ear flap, then wipe away the debris from its inner part of the ear flap and the upper ear canal. Use a cotton ball or gauze to remove it.
- Let your cat to shake her head so that the remaining cleaning solution and the debris from the ear canal to move out of the canal to the outer opening of the ear.
- Hold the ear flap again and remove the debris and cleaning solution from the outer opening of the ear canal.
- Remove any debris and remaining cleaning solution from the canal by using a cotton ball.
While cleaning your cat ears, there are some cautions you need to pay attention to. Here are the things you should pay attention:
- Do not use a cotton-tipped applicator (Q-tip) to remove the solution from the ear canal. It is because it will be able to damage the ear canal or ear drum or push the debris even further into the canal.
- Provide treats for your cat as a reward for having her ears cleaned.
- You can repeat the same process to the other ear too.
- If your cat seems to feel uncomfortable during the process, stop and consult with your vet.
- If your cat suffers from any infection and needs medication to be applied to the ears, make sure to clean it first then you can apply the medication.
Cats can also experience itchiness on their ears. If you notice your cats keep scratching the area of the ears, you have to understand the causes and remedies for itchy ears in cats.
If you concern about your cats’ health, you can also refer to the other health problems in cats, such as feline immunodeficiency virus in cats and tachycardia on cats.