Since yesterday evening, my cat Ubick has had one ear hanging down. The other ear is fine. He's a bit of a scrapper and gets into fights quite often.
Does anyone have any idea what could be wrong with him?
Is it, or could it be, anything serious?
Do I really need to take him to see a vet?
Thanks in advance for your replies!
(No arguing please :) let's keep it friendly)
Translated from French
The forum content is sometimes translated from another language, and posts may concern countries with different animal laws. Do your research before making any decisions.
Since the forum is translated by AI, the translations may contain errors.
Hi everyone, my cat’s been doing the same thing since this morning. There’s no odour coming from the ear, and no discharge or abnormal fluid inside – basically, everything looks clear. It seems to come and go, so I’m still wondering what it could be?
Hi everyone!
I’m a bit worried because I took my little Nalla to the vet as she’d also been scratching her ear and shaking her head a lot. Even after the vet cleaned them, she’s still holding her ears down and shaking her head... is this normal? Or should I go back to the vet? Thanks for your replies!
Yes, ear mites or an ear infection. I'd lean towards an ear infection because I think when a cat has mites, it's usually in both ears? Either way, he needs to see the vet. Ear infections are painful and they get worse quickly. The sooner it's treated (with antibiotic drops), the easier and quicker it is to clear up.
Looking at two of your photos, I definitely recognise that slight ear-fold Gatsby had when he had two ear infections as a kitten. He was shaking his head too (a sign of pain) and scratching a lot.
The vet will almost certainly be open on Saturday, like most of them are, for people who work during the week. But tell your sister to give them a ring quickly, as Saturdays are usually a really busy day for vets.
Since it’s Friday evening, I think it might be hard to see a vet over the weekend. In the meantime, until Monday, try cleaning their ears (either both or just the right one, depending on the situation) using gauze pads or some cotton wool soaked in warm water to help loosen any discharge. If it does turn out to be ear mites, they’ll definitely need a specific treatment anyway, but doing this for now will stop the gunk from building up... Hope that’s helpful advice... keep us updated! :)
Does he go out? Is he shaking his head a lot? If so, it could be the start of ear mites (like an ear infection), so yes, definitely take him to the vet as it’s really uncomfortable for the cat. Check if the inside of his ear is clean or if there’s any black or brown gunk that looks like coffee grounds. :)
