how to clean kittens ears

United States

August 13, 2008 6:04pm CST

We got a new kitten the other day. Poor baby has junk in her ears. I don't think it's ear mites. Though it could be. Wish I had a pic of her ears, so I could show you what it looks like. It's way down inside the ear. Could someone advise me on how to clean out a kitten's ears without damaging them? Would appreciate some suggestions. Thanks!

6 responses

• San Marcos, Texas

13 Aug 08

PURRRRRRR..meowwww..very very gently..or I'll scratch..lol... It just might be mites..they are nasty buggers...if you can se it then it might be worse where you can't see..I see a trip to the vet! Welcome little one!

• United States

14 Aug 08

Don't worry, Rosekitty! I'm a big old cat mama, so I'm always tender with kitties and friends, alike!

• Australia

14 Aug 08

I grew up with cats however, I can;t remember how we cleaned their ears. I have dogs now & I can tell you how I clean theirs...I get one of the baby wipes that I use to clean my daughter when I change her daiper & I put my finger in it & clean their ears that way. It's effective & gets alot of the dirt out.

• United States

14 Aug 08

I had never thought about that!

• United States

14 Aug 08

I have done that with dogs before, but I have never tried it on a cat. Their ears are so much smaller I did not know if it would work very well.

• Philippines

13 Aug 08

I clean my cats' ears once a week using a cotton swab with a little baby oil in it. Very gently, I take out the dirt from the folds inside the ear. I have done it since they were kitties, so as they grow old, it's just something they have gotten used to. As with your kitten's ears, I think it would be nice to go to the vet because taking out the mites yourself might hurt the kitten, or you can get bitten by the mites as well.

• United States

14 Aug 08

Yikes! I didn't know ear mites could bite humans. Don't want that. Maybe I will wear gloves. I think our kitty has just wax and dirt build up. I'll try to be careful anyway.

• Netherlands

17 Aug 08

I'm not to sure how to clean out a kittens ears, but a cotton swap or soft towl is a must as the ears are very fragile. If it's mites or lots of goo it might not come of just with water, but I know to little on this topic to make an advice. I wouldn't want to give you advice on something that might not turn out that well. When in doubt, I'd ask the VET.

• United States

17 Aug 08

It's best to buy something from the veterinarian's office or at a pet store that is made to clean cat's ears. It gets all the debri out and cleans their ears quite well. Cats hate it because it's in a liquid form but it's good for their ears so they'll be nice and cleaned out and not so dirty and itchy. Now as for ear mites, I was told that vegtable oil will drown the ear mites. Just put a cap full in it's ears and rub it in gently and you shouldn't have any more problems with ear mites.

• United States

14 Aug 08

Here is a site I found with an interesting way of cleaning a cats ears. http://cats.about.com/cs/earshearing/ht/cleanears.htm What You Need: * Olive oil or ear cleaner * Cotton Balls * Container for warm water * Plastic eye-dropper 1. Assemble supplies: olive oil or commercial ear cleaner, cotton balls, container for water 2. Warm the olive oil or ear cleaner to body temperature by placing the container in a warm pan of water. 3. Place the cat on a table or counter. 4. Put a drop or two of the liquid into the round opening of the ear canal. 5. Gently massage the base of the ear for at least a minute, to work the liquid around. 6. Repeat steps 4 and 5 with the other ear. 7. Leave your cat alone for 5 minutes. He'll do a great deal of head shaking, which will dislodge dirt and move it into the outer ear canal. 8. After 5 minutes, use clean cotton balls to wipe away oil and dirt from the ear. 9. Give your cat a treat for being so good.