The other day we noticed that Tilly was scratching her ear a lot and quite vigorously, later on i saw that where she had been sat there were a lot of black dots, i thought that together with the scratching she had got fleas - i was just about to go and check the date of her last flea treatment when i noticed that the black dots were larger than i had seen before and also had what looked like dried blood mixed in with them. When i looked down her ear it was hard to get a clear view but there was definatly some dried blood and they looked quite blocked up. I haven't noticed any difference in her hearing although she does seem a bit more nervous when we are stroking her around her ears ... do cats need their ears cleaning? Or could it be an infection? We thought perhaps she had got something in her ear and whilst trying to get it out she scratched too hard and irritated the inside of her ears, hence the blood. Any ideas? I'm thinking of going to the vets but don't want to look silly if this is nothing??

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.... Hello.

It wouldn't be silly at all to see the vet. I would go if it were me, but i do not know to much about what else it could be (hence the reason i would go)

I hope what ever it is that is causing it, goes away soon for your cat xx

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we clean Cleo's ears every couple of weeks with a cotton bud and a bit of olive oil to loosen up any wax. You should NEVER probe further than you can see with your own eyes though. If she has dried blood and you're concerned you should definately go to the vet. If she's changed her behaviour when she touch her ears I'd take that as a possible sign of an infection. Then if the vet does advise that it's a minor issue, at least you have piece of mind! xx

From your description it sounds like your cat has ear mites.

Although you can buy treatment over the counter for ear mites it would be better to see your vet who will examine the ears first and then wash them out thoroughly before you apply any ear drop treatment.

to me it sound like ear mitses my cat has just got treatment for that and he had blood in his ears but when i first looked i just though it was a cut from a fight he had but took him to the vets and they said he had ear mites and a cut from the fight he had with another cat you wont look silly

Thanks, it's just reassuring to get some information on it - she's been so problem free since we got her it's quite a shock that something might be wrong now. I think i will go to the vets then, does anyone know if it is ear mites if she will be in pain? Obviously there is blood and discomfort through scratching but will it actually be hurting her? I can't stand the thought of her suffering and i won't be able to go to the vets until Thursday as i am at the hospital tomorrow

Also, i have just realised that this post should probably be in the cat health section; i don't know why i put it here. Does anyone know how i can move it or any admins available to do it? Thanks a lot.

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.... Hello.

Thornit is brilliant for ear mites in dogs and cats and I think you can use it on rabbits too. A lot of dog breeders use this and I use it on my dog and it really works.

my kitten was in a little pain because when i took him they gave me ear drops because he had alreddy been flead and some pain meds but his ears look a lot better now but with my kitten he had been in a cat fight as well so that made his ears more pain ful good luck at the vets hope your cat feels better soon

Yes, I was going to say that it is ear mites too. I have heard that the black spots in their ears are like littel coffee granuals. Maybe the blood is caused by scratching? I would also go to the vets though just to be on the safe side or maybe buy a treatment and if that doesn't work then go to the vets afterwards.

Don't worry about posting it here. I often post health issues here... or I did a lot when I first got my kitty because a lot of the people I speak to regularly tend to stay in this forum

Luckily the hospital didn’t take as long as I had imagined it would so I have booked Tilly in for an appointment at the vets for later on this afternoon, hopefully the problem won’t be too severe and they can start getting her on the mend quickly.

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.... Hello.