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My cat is scratching his ears, has black gunk and blood. Is it normal?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Hello my pet cat has recently been scratching his ears a lot and today I noticed blood inside his ear. I looked inside and saw a lot of black inside his ear and didn't know if that was normal. Thank you fro your help

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3 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Kevin Sanada, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on February 18th, 2018

The normal earwax is a dark brown/black substance, but this does appear to be more than normal. I am suspicious of an ear infection from the pictures and what you are describing. Ear infections usually have a primary cause that allows it to be infected. Common primary causes are allergies, excessive moisture, mites or something stuck down in the ear. It's best to have him evaluated by a veterinarian, so they can have a good look in the ear and provide the necessary medication to clear this up. For now, it will be good to gently flush the ear once every two days to help remove the debris from the ear - this will help with treating the infection. Below is a link that gives a helpful tutorial for cleaning ears. https://youtu.be/9gX3ex9ClUY I hope that helps and he gets better soon.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

    Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident

    Published on June 25th, 2018

    Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be an ear infection or perhaps ear mites. Thes are fairly common. The good news is that these usually respond readily to therapy when treated appropriately. I recommend that you have Radovan evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. If an infection is confirmed, treatment would be based on the type of infection it is. Good luck and best wishes!

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    Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

    Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident

    Published on October 19th, 2018

    Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to an ear infection which could have been driven by an allergy and scratching for example. Ear infections are fairly common. The good news is that these usually respond readily to therapy when treated appropriately. I recommend that you have Thor evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. If an infection is confirmed, treatment would be based on the type of infection it is. Good luck and best wishes!

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