Feline otitis study highlights need to look beyond ear discharge
Bottom line
A retrospective study of 103 cats seen for otitis at a French veterinary teaching hospital between 2020 and 2022 adds to a small but growing evidence base on how feline ear disease presents in referral practice. In the related conference abstract available from the same research group, 37 of the 103 cats had suppurative otitis, most cases were unilateral, and otitis media was common; polyps or other masses were frequently identified, especially in younger cats and in cases involving the middle ear. All cats underwent video-otoscopy and cytology, and nearly one-third had CT, underscoring how often advanced diagnostics were needed to define the underlying cause. The study’s abstract highlights inflammatory polyps and neoplasia as common primary causes, with age helping guide the differential list. (doi.org)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the message is less about otitis as a standalone diagnosis and more about not stopping at the discharge. In cats, chronic or unilateral otitis should raise suspicion for deeper disease, including otitis media, inflammatory polyps, and neoplasia, rather than being managed like routine canine otitis externa. Recent expert commentary from dermatologist Sonja Zabel echoes that pattern, noting that cats often present late and that ear canal growths are especially common in very young and older patients. Taken together, the evidence supports a workup that includes careful otoscopy or video-otoscopy, cytology, and, when disease is chronic, unilateral, purulent, or refractory, imaging to look for a mass or middle ear involvement. (dvm360.com)
What to watch: Watch for the full JSAP paper to clarify the case breakdown, diagnostic yield by modality, and whether the authors can identify practical referral triggers for primary-care clinicians. (doi.org)
Key facts
- Study type
- Retrospective study
- Sample size
- 103 cats
- Setting
- French veterinary teaching hospital dermatology service
- Study period
- 2020 to 2022
- Main finding
- Chronic otitis predominated
- Common primary causes
- Inflammatory polyps and neoplasia
- Diagnostics used
- All cats had video-otoscopy and cytology
- Advanced imaging
- CT was performed in 30 of 103 cats
- Related abstract finding
- 37 cats had suppurative otitis; most were unilateral, and otitis media was common
A new retrospective study on feline otitis, covering 103 cases from a veterinary teaching hospital’s dermatology service between 2020 and 2022, points to a familiar but clinically important theme: in cats, ear disease often signals something deeper than uncomplicated otitis externa. The study abstract says chronic otitis predominated and identifies inflammatory polyps and neoplasia as common primary causes, while emphasizing the value of comprehensive diagnostics, including video-otoscopy and advanced imaging, to sort out age-related causes and guide case management. (doi.org)
That matters because feline otitis is less common than canine otitis, and the differential list is different. Review literature and reference sources consistently note that inflammatory polyps are a leading cause of middle ear disease in younger cats, while neoplasia becomes a more important concern in older cats, particularly with unilateral or treatment-refractory disease. A recent review on chronic otitis in cats also stresses that feline cases require attention to primary, predisposing, and perpetuating factors, rather than reflexively treating secondary infection alone. (onlinelibrary.wiley.com)
The most concrete additional details available online come from a 2024 conference abstract by members of the same Alfort group describing feline suppurative otitis in this broader 103-case population. In that abstract, all 103 cats underwent video-otoscopy and cytology; 37 cases involved suppurative otitis; 83.8% of those were unilateral; 70.3% were associated with otitis media; and CT was performed in 30 of the 103 cats overall, including just over half of the suppurative subgroup. Polyps or masses were common both in cats with purulent otitis externa alone and in cats with otitis media. Among the limited number of cultures performed, Staphylococcus spp. predominated. The authors concluded that suppurative cases should be referred for imaging to look for masses and middle ear disease. While that abstract is not identical to the JSAP paper described in your source data, it appears closely related and helps fill in likely diagnostic patterns from the same case series. (doi.org)
Other recent feline otitis research supports the study’s emphasis on imaging and endoscopy. A paper comparing CT with video-otoscopy in cats reported that distinguishing inflammatory polyps from otitis media or early neoplasia can be difficult, reinforcing the value of combining modalities. Separate retrospective work on cats with otitis media has shown that imaging findings, tympanic bulla changes, and concurrent neurologic or upper respiratory signs can materially affect treatment planning and prognosis. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Industry and specialist commentary is moving in the same direction. In an August 20, 2026, dvm360 interview from the AVMA Convention, Sonja Zabel, DVM, DACVD, said she commonly sees allergies, but also many younger and older cats with ear canal growths, especially inflammatory polyps in the young, with secondary bacterial or yeast overgrowth complicating the picture. She also emphasized that cats often hide discomfort, which can delay presentation until disease is more established. That perspective aligns closely with the hospital-based retrospective data, where chronicity and structural disease appear to be recurring themes. (dvm360.com)
Why it matters: For general practitioners and dermatology-focused teams, this study is a reminder to treat feline otitis as a diagnostic problem first and a dispensing problem second. If the patient is unilateral, chronic, purulent, painful, neurologic, or not responding as expected, the threshold for sedation, video-otoscopy, imaging, and referral should be lower than it often is in dogs. The practical takeaway for conversations with a pet parent is that visible discharge may be the surface finding, while the real driver could be a polyp, a mass, or occult middle ear disease. That distinction affects prognosis, treatment selection, cost discussions, and the likelihood that medical therapy alone will succeed. (doi.org)
What to watch: The next key question is whether the full publication provides a more detailed age-stratified breakdown of causes, culture results, and imaging findings, and whether it translates those findings into referral criteria clinicians can use in first-opinion practice. It will also be worth watching whether future studies clarify how often CT changes management compared with video-otoscopy alone in feline otitis workups. (doi.org)