Natural Ear Cleaner and Ear Mite Treatment for Pets

Every once in a while my cat Willow will get very dirty ears. There is dirt and wax buildup in them. The mildest method to clean out their ears is with Olive Oil.

Olive Oil will coat the ears and loosen the dirt. And, if there are ear mites present, the oil will smother and kill them.

Directions:

1. Scruff your cat to keep her still (just like a mother cat will do - this will usually keep a cat very calm). Just grab a large amount of skin on the back of her neck and keep a steady hold onto it.
2. 

   Boston round with olive oil

3. You can drizzle a little olive oil into their ear canal.  I use a boston round bottle with dispensing tip to squeeze some in - but sometimes this makes a noise after you squeeze and the cat gets nervous. So, you could use an eyedropper - and this way you have a measured amount of oil to use, and you won't accidentally overload their ear with oil. Or just pour a little olive oil into a saucer, take a small cotton ball (or a cotton ball ripped in half) and apply the olive oil to their ear.


4. Massage the base of their ear between your thumb and your fingers.


5. Take a small cotton ball and wipe with a twisting motion in your pet ears. You should see dirt on your cotton ball. I rip my cotton balls in half - and have around 12 of them ready before I begin the ear cleaning procedure.

Get a new cotton ball and repeat the process until you do not see any more debris on it.

When you are finished, pet them and say "What a good girl (or boy)!!!" in a very positive manner. This lets them know that you think they are wonderful for letting you clean their ears, and they won't be so upset when you do the process the following day. (I have tried just letting them go after I am finished but the next time I pick them up, they are scared of what I might do!)

I usually repeat this process over several days.

Do not clean their ears with q-tips as this can accidentally damage the ear canal.

Your pet will love you for cleaning their ears!

massage base of ear

wipe ear with cotton ball

My cat Willow getting her neck scruffed

Disclaimer: I do not provide medical advise or otherwise engage in the practice of medicine.   The statements on this website have not been evaluated by the FDA.  Consult your veterinarian before following anything you have read on this website.    See my full medical disclaimer under Terms of Use.