What is this?

[u/No_Syrup_4129]

Hello all,

This is my cat Louie

My boy here has this black goo in his ear. I’ll clean it out maybe once every few weeks with my finger and a tissue, it’s consistent with ear wax but obviously very dark in color. I’ll know it’s bothering him again because he will shake his head or itch his ears more than usual, or walk around with one of his ears kind of lopsided. He’s a rescue, got him when he was a kitten but he’s indoor exclusively. He’s had this problem for a some time now. Also on the same side of this ear he has an eye that tears up and leaks, also pretty consistent with this earwax build up. Any ideas as to what this could be? I wanted to start some sort of treatment in hopes of giving him some relief sooner, as I’m worried he’s been suffering from this for some time. He’s got a date with the vet soon but just was curious what you’re thinking as well.

Thanks for your help!

[u/Visible-Armor]

Yeast and/or ear mites. This looks like mites but a tell tail sign is scratch marks around the ears/head

[u/No_Syrup_4129 → u/Visible-Armor]

I was thinking this as well, however aren’t ear mites supposed to be very contagious? I have another female cat they are best friends, snuggle and groom each other and all, and after all this time she hasn’t had this issue

[u/Visible-Armor → u/No_Syrup_4129]

The head shaking and itching is very likely to be mites. It could be yeast but neither are something to leave alone. If your cat keeps shaking her head she can get a hematoma in the ear. This happens a lot to outdoor cats and the fix for it can be costly and distort the shape of the ear. Visit the vet and buy the proper ear drops before the cat gets sick. Runny eye, nose, shaking head are all signs there is an ear infection of some kind. I do think its mites though. It can bother some cats more than others and I wouldn't judge based on what the other cat is doing.

[u/AZ_troutfish → u/Visible-Armor]

This