PetMD guide draws a clearer line on cleaning cats’ ears

Most healthy cats don’t need routine ear cleaning, but PetMD’s new consumer-facing guide lays out when at-home cleaning is appropriate and when pet parents should stop and call a veterinarian. The article, written by Jennifer Grota, DVM, advises checking ears regularly for wax, debris, odor, redness, swelling, discharge, pain, or itching, and recommends cleaning only ears that appear dirty but not inflamed or painful. Its step-by-step instructions center on a vet-approved ear cleaner, gentle massage of the ear base, allowing the cat to shake, and wiping only the visible ear flap and canal opening with gauze or cotton, while avoiding cotton swabs, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol, and other home remedies. (petmd.com)

Why it matters: For veterinary teams, the piece reflects a familiar but important preventive-care message: ear cleaning is not a universal grooming task in cats, and inappropriate home care can worsen disease or delay diagnosis. Merck Veterinary Manual notes that healthy cats generally don’t need routine ear cleaning, and that signs such as head shaking, odor, redness, swelling, discharge, or pain warrant veterinary evaluation because underlying causes can include parasites, allergies, foreign material, polyps, or infection. Merck also cautions that some cats need sedation or anesthesia for a proper otoscopic exam and cleaning when ears are painful or obstructed, underscoring the clinical opportunity to steer pet parents away from DIY treatment and toward earlier workups. (merckvetmanual.com)

What to watch: Expect continued client education around ear-care triage, especially distinguishing simple wax removal from cases that need cytology, otoscopy, mite treatment, or investigation of allergic or obstructive disease. (merckvetmanual.com)