My cat shakes head, clear liquid from ear. Any home remedies?

Ear infections are relatively common in both cats and dogs. Some are more persistent than others. As you said, your vet took a look at the contents of the ear to determine what course of treatment might be required. Without a true bacterial / fungal culture, I could only speculate as to what the exact organism might be. The majority of ear medications, tresaderm included, are traditionally quite broad spectrum in an attempt to cover as many bugs as possible. The reason Fatboy is shaking his head is likely a combination of both the drops and the discomfort associated with the infection. If after six days of effective treatment, you are not seeing any improvement at all, you might want to call you vet and let him know. He may want to obtain a new sample to see if any progress is being made. If not, a true culture could be sent out to better target his therapy and change medications if needed be.

Yes it looks like the ear must be examined by your veterinarian to have the most appropriate treatment prescribed. There could be an infection there and antibiotics drops may be needed. Please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

No, this isn't normal behavior. When you initially put drops in the ears of a cat, it is normal to see some head shaking and itching for a short period of time, but it should not continue for 20 minutes. This suggests that the Johnsons ear drops are irritating their ears, and I would not use it again. I would take them both into the vet. Cats naturally produce a little bit of ear wax, but a build up of it indicates an ear infection. Ear infections in cats are caused by ear mites, bacteria, or yeast, so the cause needs to be diagnosed in order for the cat to be treated correctly. I would take both of them into the vet on Monday. Good luck, I hope this helps!

Olive oil isn’t recommended to put in your pets ears unfortunately. It shouldn’t cause any major issues unless Callie has a ruptured ear drum, which your vet can check for with a proper ear exam. If it looks dirty and she is shaking, then she could still have mites (true are quite small and often cause black crusty debris in the ears) or even a yeast or bacterial infection. It’s best to take her in to your vet soon for a proper ear exam, testing to determine what kind of infection is there and pet friendly ear medication and cleaner. If you can’t get her in today, then it’s best to purchase a dewaxing pet ear cleaner from your local pet store right now to help remove some of the residue olive oil from her ear. She likely doesn’t like the feel of having this in her ear so it’s also a good idea to place an e-collar on her to prevent her from scratching at her ears and causing further irritation. I hope Callie’s ear infection clears up soon. Best wishes and take care.

Ear mites is possible but in an indoor only kitty it is less likely and the more likely cause would be a bacterial or yeast infection of the ear, or a foreign body stuck in the ear. I would recommend a vet visit. The vet can look in the ear with an otoscope and can take a swab from the ear to check under the microscope for mites, bacteria or yeast and prescribe medications to treat this.

Poor Domino! Ear infections can sometimes take a little while to heal completely I recommend calling your vet to schedule a recheck appointment, as your vet will likely want to examine the ear canal, and possibly check a swab of the ear under a microscope to see how the treatment is progressing. In the meantime, keep treating Domino as directed by your vet. He certainly is a cute little guy, and lucky to have a caring new owner!

You could try contacting your local vets office or pet store for an ear cleanser suitable for use in cats (alcohol free only) to see if this will remove the mites, wax and oil. Gently fill the ear with the solution, rub the side of the ear for 1minute then allow her to shake out excess, wipe outer ear with cotton wool if she will allow this and is not too painful. Do not force liquid into ear as this can irritate or even burst the ear drum causing pain. You should contact your vet to discuss options of pain relief, your local humane society may have information on subsidized clinics in your area