Cat ear infection and hearing

Find information about cat ear infection and foreign objects in your cat’s ears.

Do you ever wonder how your cat can hear the can opener and come galloping into the kitchen from the other end of the house?  Or, how does she tell that you're opening the cabinet door where her cat food is located instead of a nearby cabinet in your kitchen? 

Cats have an incredible sense of hearing.  They can hear much better and in higher frequencies than we humans can.  They can also distinguish the tone, pitch and location of sounds better than we can.  From a yard away, a cat can distinguish between sounds from sources only 3 inches apart.  These attributes easily explain why your cat can distinguish which cabinet door you are opening, even when she is many rooms away. 

What can harm your cat's hearing? 

Mites, bacteria, yeast, allergies and injuries are all culprits that can cause infections or other damage to your cat's ears.  Left untreated, these conditions can lead to hearing loss. 

What we can do? 

We can prevent hearing problems with regular ear care.  Examine your cat's ears weekly, and clean if needed.  An otoscope will help you detect ear problems like mites.  A slight amount of light brown wax is normal, but black, red, or infected-looking discharge (i.g. yellow or green pus) indicates a problem.  Take your cat to a veterinarian right away if you see anything problematic. 

To clean the ears, squirt 5-10 drops of ear cleaning solution into the ear and massage the base of the ear for 15 to 20 seconds.  Wipe away the debris and any excess fluid inside the ear.  Repeat these steps as needed until the debris is gone.  Dry the earflap thoroughly with a soft cloth.  Then, apply a small amount of ear drying powder to keep your cat's ears dry for days to come. 

Clean, healthy ears help keep kitty's hearing in tip-top shape, so she can attend to her daily activities without problems. 

How are the cat's ear constructed? 

The cat ear is divided into three parts.  The outer ear is composed of the ear flap (pinna) and the ear canal (external auditory canal).  The middle ear is made up of the ear drum (tympanic membrane) and the auditory bones or ossicles.  The inner ear contains the cochlea, a bony labyrinth and the auditory nerves. 

The external ear (pinna) is made up mostly of cartilage, blood vessels, and skin, with muscles attached at the base.  The muscles allow the animal to move his or her ear to hear sounds coming from almost any direction.  The function of the pinna is to collect sound waves and direct them at the eardrum, or tympanic membrane, which vibrates differently according to the sound.  The bones of the middle ear help amplify the sound into the inner ear where the tiny organs responsible for hearing are located.  Tiny hairs on these organs transmit vibrations to the auditory nerve, which transmits them to the brain for translation. 

When you clean the ears you should gently be pulling up on the external ear to straighten this canal out and allow deeper penetration of medication.   Do not swab out or irrigate your cat’s ears with ether alcohol or other irritating solvents that will cause pain and swelling of the tissues.  Use mineral or olive oil instead for the cleaning process and follow the instructions above.  Cats commonly give their owners a clue that their ears are bothering them.  Most animals ears will either have discharge, odor, or the distressed pet will shake its head.  Sometimes the ear flap will become extremely swollen.  This is called an aura hecatomb.   Pets that have a foreign body in their ear, like a fox tail, will shake the head extensively, and frequently paw at the affected ear.

Signs of outer ear problems are discharge, head shaking, ear scratching and tenderness about the ear.  Diseases of the middle ear produce head tilt and loss of hearing.  Diseases of the inner ear affect the balance center.  The cat wobbles, circles, falls and rolls over and has trouble righting itself.  The cat may show rapid jerking movements of the eyes.  Middle and inner ear disorders should receive prompt veterinary attention.

Ear mites are the most common cause of external ear canal inflammation in cats.  As a result, the cat will shake its head and scratch at the ears.  A glance into the ear canal usually reveals a blackish brown material which is the mites or their eggs.  Treatment involves cleaning out the debris, and administering a matricide in the ears.  (Your vet should do this or show you exactly how to clean the ears).  You should also apply a topical insecticide to kill mites on the skin and hair.  Otitis media, inflammation of the middle ear, and Otitis interna, inflammation of the inner ear are both fairly uncommon in cats.  They usually result from an extension of disease occurring in the external ear canal.