New kitten has dark ear wax. Is it mites? Can I clean her ears?

Question

Our newly adopted kitty has some dark ear wax gunk in both ears. However, she doesn't seem to obsessively scratch her ears, tilt her head, or anything to indicate it bothers her. We will not be able to get her into a vet for a physical for at least a week. Is there any way we can determine if she has ear mites, and if she does, should we buy something for it before we even go to the vet?

Bobbi Musgrove, DVM · Accepted Answer

Congratulations on your new kitty! Yes, you can safely clean your kitty's ears with a soft cotton ball moistened with warm water or you can pick up an over-the-counter ear cleaning solution that is made for use in pets. Generally speaking, ear mites cause lots of itchy symptoms so it is possible this debris you see is not due to an ear mite issue. I do not recommend any of the over-the-counter 'ear mite' medications because sometimes they do more harm than good. If you notice redness of the skin lining the ear canal, this could indicate infection and it would be best to have your new kitty evaluated as soon as possible.

New kitten has dark ear wax. Is it mites? Can I clean her ears?

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