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My cat's ear is red, inflamed, with crumbly gunk. Home remedies?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Female | spayed | 28 lbs

Cat has ear infection in both ears (one much worse than the other). One ear FULL of brown/yellow crumbly stuff, ear very inflamed and red. We think she probably had ear mites (we have been putting olive oil in her ear to try to treat it) and she was irritated so she scratched it up and her ears got infected. Is there a way we can treat this at home? Should we get all of the crumbly stuff out first and then clean out her ear with vinegar? Thank you!

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on February 4th, 2017

Please do not put any more olive oil in Lady's ear, it will not cure the ear infection and will make it worse. Do not use vinegar either. You need to take Lady into a vet right away for treatment. It's very important to have any ear infection treated promptly, as leaving it untreated can lead to hearing loss. The vet can diagnose what is causing the ear infection (ear mites, yeast, or bacteria), and can prescribe her an appropriate and safe medication to treat it. Please take her into a vet ASAP.

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    Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    No, please do not put any more things in her ears, oil and vinegar will only make things worse. it could be ear mites although bacterial infection or yeast infections are actually more common and cause the same symptoms. you will need to take Lady to the vet ASAP in order to get treated, she will need a prescription ear drop after the vet checks the ears to determine the cause.

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