[azubah]

My cat is about 14 years old and has had very itchy ears for some time.
The first time I took him to the vet his ears were wet inside and the vet said that it was not ear mites as they like it dry. He gave me antibiotic drops and instructions to clean the ears with an oily ear cleaner.
I did this, but the cat hates it and gets very stressed.
This has gone on for some time with the condition improving a little followed by it getting worse and another vet visit.
I am in dispair. At my last visit the vet said "well..he's a very old cat" I'm not sure what he meant, but the cat can still climb on top of the door and jump down, so still has a lot of life left in him.
Anyone out there got any ideas of what to do next? I don't think I could get tablets down him. He is already stressed and thinking of leaving home.

[Jellyhead]

You could try a holistic approach. I use a company that is brilliant and has a product I think might help. If you google the word holistic and the the words pet supplies  you should find it useful. They also supply the pet equiv of Rescue Remedy to help stress as well as anxiety drops. I recommend them as everything I have tried for all sorts of things...work I am even going to start supplying over here along side my pet food.
Your cat sounds very sprightly to me and 14 is fairly old but not ancient.

[Caralou]

I agree with Jelly. Mum and dad's Claudipus had cance on his ear and was too old for surgery, and too full of life to not be treated in some way. We used comfrey cream on his ear to stop the itching and to sooth the area, which on occassions would bleed. Although obviously this was not a cure, it was a great relief to him. Jelly, send me the link for that one please, I like to have alternatives in for mine to help them when ill. x

[madcat]

Also, is he up to date on his flea treatment?  He might be developing a flea allergy with his more tender aging skin and/or sleeping more so they get a better grip.

[Rubellite]

Errrm, at the risk of sounding like a scratched record there is a very good product for ears called THORNIT. You can use it on cats and although it is for mites it cures yeasty conditions and other ear ailments.
Had a dog with a nasty ear and sorted it very quickly with THORNIT, with no recurrance.
It's worth a go 

[azubah]

Thanks folks.
I have just ordered Thornit. I will try that first. The anti-stress idea sounds good too.
He is up-to-date with flea treatment and there are no signs of fleas. The vet did say that there are no ear mites, but there is something causing the problem.

[Rubellite]

Let us know how you get on with the Thornit.
I used it on my two cats when I first had them. They came to me at 6 months old and both had itchy, smelly ears. I stuffed some Thornit into them  
Shortly after I took Delilah to the vets to be neutered and they picked up on the mucky ears. They took a swab and couldn't find any mites, but did comment on the "powder" that was in the ears. "Yes, that's Thornit" says I. They hadn't heard of it and looked at me like I was nuts (but I'm used to that as I don't vax and raw feed the dogs, and always get lectured if I take one of the "kids" to the vet). They told me that they couldn't actually suggest anything as Dilly's ear passages were so narrow they couldn't get in there properly.
So I smiled and said "ok, well I'll carry on with the Thornit for the time being then".
Whether it was the Thornit or something they just grew out of, I don't know, but they don't have trouble with their ears anymore  

[John]

Although all vets are qualified, some are better than others - why not seek another opinion at another practice? Be upfront and say you're looking for fresh eyes on the problem.

Oh, and price seems to be unrelated. Worst vet I ever went to was the most expensive, think he preferred horses to moggies. One of the best was so cheap I wondered how she kept going.

14 isn't old for a cat nowadays. Our vet operated on Ciggy when he was 15 - he actually said that there was a time when they'd have not entertained it but better nutrition has helped lifespan. 20 isn't that unusual with cats although sadly none of ours has made it past 17

[tam]

I take it he looked down his ears with a scope? Did the vet also take a sample and look under a microscope?

Did you manage to get the antibiotic drops in the ears for the full course?

If my vet blamed a condition he couldn't identify/treat on a 14 year old cat being old, I'd be getting a new one (vet that is not cat).

[Jellyhead]

I am going to try this Thornit on my Scooby. He is a Gordon Setter X Newfoundland so has quite fluffy ears. He has ear mites and I am finding it hard to get rid of them as the stuff the vet gave me doesnt seem to be as effective as the drops they use in the uk. Also, a friend of mine has also just mentioned Thornit too so it must be good. Off to google it now and get some sent over...................thanks Rubellite

[Rubellite]

I am going to try this Thornit on my Scooby. He is a Gordon Setter X Newfoundland so has quite fluffy ears. He has ear mites and I am finding it hard to get rid of them as the stuff the vet gave me doesnt seem to be as effective as the drops they use in the uk. Also, a friend of mine has also just mentioned Thornit too so it must be good. Off to google it now and get some sent over...................thanks Rubellite

  Aw, it definitely worked for me, but now I've pushed it, I do hope it does the same for you 

[azubah]

I take it he looked down his ears with a scope? Did the vet also take a sample and look under a microscope?

Did you manage to get the antibiotic drops in the ears for the full course?

If my vet blamed a condition he couldn't identify/treat on a 14 year old cat being old, I'd be getting a new one (vet that is not cat).

The vet did look down his ears with a scope. I was wondering if that was how he got the infection in the first place after a check up!

How did you get the powder in, Rubellite? My poor cat  now runs at the first sign that I am going to shove anything into his ears.

Tam, I managed with difficulty to get the drops in but am not convinced that they got all the way in. How do you get drops right down onto the eardrum? He is now on the second week of treatment.

[Rubellite]

It wasn't the easiest thing to do and took two of us. (Never have the same trouble with a dog, do you?) I'd put some on the handle end of a teaspoon and just tip it in. Then hold ear flap and massage. Some must have got to where it wanted to be as the vet looked down the ear passage with a scope when she was out and saw the powder.
Like I said her ears improved but I have bought a plastic pipette to try if it happens again. Theory being that I can puff the powder down. I suppose being furtive is the key. Hide all medication and just sit and fuss 'til chilled and go for it. One ear a day if necessary......
Rube

[tam]

With drops: tilt head to one side, drop in drops, hold head to prevent shaking and massage the base of the ear in circles to encourage the drops to go all the way down.

Optional: bandage your wounds

[azubah]

Thanks Rubellite. I wait till he is relaxed to get the flea drops on and that works well now, but have not yet cracked it with the ear drops, though it is getting better. I now warm the bottle in my hand. That seems to help. I am afraid of tipping the ear powder into his eye if he moves though. The powder has not  yet arrived but has been dispatched.

You would laugh at my efforts, tam, if you saw me in action. How do  you tilt a cat's head to one side when he has his claws deep in your leg and has gone rigid? If I held his head to prevent shaking, his whole body would shake instead with his feet off the ground... and as for massaging the base of the ear, it seems a little unnecessary as most of the drops are on my face by this time! I found that Asda do a range of very cheap plasters.