How do you clean a cat's ears?
Quick answer
Clean your cat's ears only when they look dirty or waxy, usually every two to four weeks, using a vet-approved ear cleaner and cotton balls, and never push cotton buds down into the ear canal.
The full answer
Start by looking at both ears in good light. A healthy ear is pale pink, dry and almost odourless, with a little light brown wax near the opening. To clean, hold the ear flap gently upright, squirt a small amount of cleaner into the canal, then massage the base of the ear for twenty to thirty seconds, which produces a soft squelching sound. Let your cat shake its head, which brings debris up, then wipe the visible inner flap and the crevices with a cotton ball or soft gauze dampened with cleaner. Only clean the parts you can see; the canal itself is self-cleaning.
Never use water, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, vinegar or baby oil in the ear, and never insert cotton buds, hairpins or fingers into the canal, because they push wax deeper and can puncture the eardrum. Do not clean more often than necessary either, since over-cleaning irritates the lining and creates the very discharge you are trying to remove. Two different cotton balls, one per ear, prevent spreading an infection from one side to the other.
See a vet if you notice dark, coffee-ground-like debris, a yeasty or foul smell, redness, swelling, head shaking, discharge, a head tilt, or if your cat flinches when the ear is touched. These suggest ear mites, a bacterial or yeast infection, or a foreign body, and vigorous shaking can also cause an aural haematoma, a blood-filled swelling that needs treatment.