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How to Clean a Cat's Ears Properly: It Turns Out Many Don't Know
01.07.2024 06:10
Cat owners often make the mistake of paying little attention to cleaning their pet's ears.
Dust particles that settle in the ear canal mix with wax and then come out.
But with an excess of sulfur, a plug can form, as a result of which various diseases appear. Therefore, to avoid their occurrence, you need to clean the ear canal of your pet.
How often should you clean your cat's ears?
There are a number of important factors that determine how often you need to clean your ears:
• Age of the pet
• Ear diseases
• Frequency of going outside
• Features of the body
The breed of the cat also has a strong influence. For example, hairless cats need ear cleaning much more often, since their auricles are not protected in any way. Also, cats with large auricles accumulate sulfur very quickly.
During bathing, water can get into the cat's ear canal, so it is recommended to clean the ears immediately after.
With frequent ear cleaning, earwax begins to stand out faster, so it should not be done too often. It is better to inspect the auricle often and clean it if necessary. If the pet often goes outside, an inspection is necessary every day. And if the pet is indoors, once a week is enough.
Ear cleaning products
Preventive ear cleaning does not require special products. You can buy suitable ones at any drugstore, for example, Vaseline. In veterinary drugstores, you can buy special products that are sold as a spray. The product is applied to a cotton swab.
It is important that if your pet is sick, you can only use the medications prescribed by your doctor.
How to Clean Your Ears Properly
The pet should be trained to this procedure from puppyhood. If this is not done, an adult cat should be wrapped in something and held, because it will not allow this to be done just like that.
Before you start, you should prepare everything, open the liquid and put cotton swabs at hand. In the case when the procedure is carried out using Vaseline or a special ointment, the cotton swabs should be lubricated in advance. Good lighting is needed, so when it is not enough, you need to use additional light sources (flashlight, lamp).
The cat should be seated so that the light falls on the auricle. When the cat starts to get nervous, it is better to calm it down, you can pet it, or try to talk. You can also give the pet a sedative in advance.
The further order is as follows:
1. Examine the skin and fur
2. Turn your ear outward
3. Gently wipe the surface of the ear and lightly inside the ear canal. Do not wipe too deeply.
4. Do the same with the second ear.
Features of cleaning kittens' ears
The procedure is identical to cleaning the ears of adult cats. Only cotton swabs are not suitable for kittens, so you should clean the ears with special drops.
They are buried inside, after which, after a little massage of the cartilage, all the sulfur dissolves and is released from the auricle on its own. All that remains is to wipe it with a dry cloth.
When the ears become very dirty, it is recommended to consult a veterinarian.
When to see a specialist
There are many reasons that indicate the presence of a disease, such as a bad smell in the ear canal, a change in the color of the sulfur, liquid discharge, and others.
If they are found, you should immediately contact a veterinarian to avoid adverse consequences.
Also, the behavior of the pet can indicate the presence of some disease. For example, if the pet has an ear mite, it will constantly try to scratch the ear, because it is experiencing severe itching.
You need to carefully monitor your pet's ears to prevent the disease from developing. This will save time and extra money on treatment.
Earlier we talked about why a cat brings kittens to its owner .
