Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 3/20/2008

Question
My cat has recently decided that it is my job to clean her ears.  She is 5yrs old and has alot of waxy buildup in her ears.  She comes over to me about every two weeks rubbing her head on me.  when I look it her ears they are covered with dark brown gunk.  she seems happy after I carefully swab them out.  Is she just lazy or do you think it is something that needs a vets attention?

Answer
She may just want the attention if that's all that is required to fix the problem.  Cats with allergies often have waxy ears.  If there is no infection in the ears, then you will not need to do anything more.  If there is an infection, the vet will help you out.