Cat otitis externa is a relatively common disease among cats. There are many reasons for cats to suffer from otitis externa, such as water in the cat’s ears when bathing, scratches and infections, etc. If it is not cleaned and treated in time, It can easily lead to serious illness, so what should you do if your cat is infected with otitis externa?

1. Symptoms

Cat otitis externa is inflammation of the external auditory canal and is a common disease in cats. Symptoms of sick cats often include restlessness, frequent flapping of the ears, scratching the ears with paws, or rubbing the ears against objects, loss of appetite, scratches and abrasions on the ear shells, and common bleeding. Black exudate is attached to the external auditory canal, and sometimes otorrhea can be seen adhering to the hair at the base of the ear. Over time, the ear canal epithelium and subcutaneous tissue proliferate, the ear canal lumen becomes narrow, and hearing loss occurs. If your cat has the symptoms listed above, you may have otitis externa.

2. Treatment methods for cat otitis externa:

1. Clean the outer ear. Cut off the hair at the base of the ear, and disinfect the shell and outer opening of the ear canal with 70% alcohol. Then use 0.1% fresh cleanser, preferably 2% boric acid solution, wet the cotton swab to thoroughly clean the earwax and exudate, and then wipe the ear canal with dry absorbent cotton.

2. Ear canal medication. For parasitic otitis externa, after cleaning the ear canal, apply 1-2% trichlorfon aqueous solution to the affected area, and treat it again every 4 days. For bacterial otitis externa, rinse the ear canal and apply chloramphenicol ointment and hydrocortisone ointment 1-2 times a day for 1 week. For fungal otitis externa, after thoroughly cleaning the ear canal, Wuji ointment and chlortetracycline ointment can be used until the scales in the ear disappear.

3. If otitis externa is accompanied by elevated body temperature, sensitive antibiotics should be used throughout the body to prevent secondary otitis media and otitis interna. However, it is best to take your cat to the hospital for a detailed examination to determine the condition for better treatment.