Caring for working dogs

When is Your Cat's Eat Infection an Emergency?

11 December 2017

Jose Reid

If your cat has an unpleasant odour or discharge coming from her ear or you notice swelling and redness in the ear area, an infection is a likely cause. All ear infections should be treated by a vet as soon as possible, but how can you know if your cat's ear infection is severe enough to be considered a vet emergency? Here are 3 signs that you should get your cat to an out of hours vet instead of waiting for the next appointment.

When She's Scratching Her Ear

When the pain and discomfort of an ear infection becomes severe, your cat may begin scratching her ear. If she does, you should get her to a vet as soon as possible, because ear scratching can lead to further problems. In particular, repeated scratching can cause trauma to the ear flap. Such trauma can lead to a hematoma--blood collecting under the skin of the ear flap. Once a hematoma has formed, it has to be drained and sewn up by a vet in a surgical procedure. As with any surgery, this isn't pleasant for cats, and the hematoma can still return. Getting your cat's ear infection treated quickly is the best way to prevent hematoma formation, avoiding the need for surgery.

When She's Off Balance

One of the big dangers of an ear infection is that is can cause your cat to become unstable on her feet. As the vestibular system in the ear helps regulate balance and orientation, infections in the inner and middle ear can disrupt your cat's movement. You can tell if a cat's having vestibular problems by looking out for symptoms like wobbling and falling, a tilted head, darting eyes, and nausea. While this may seem relatively harmless, it's important to remember that a cat who's off-balance may not know she needs to stay still to stay safe. This can lead to dangerous and even deadly falls from tables, counters, or walls. If your cat is an outdoor cat, she may also find it difficult to defend herself from predators and other cats. If you see any signs of incoordination in your cat, get her ear infection seen to quickly before she hurts herself.

When She's in Pain

Sometimes an ear infection may not be causing any other issues but still needs to be seen to quickly because your cat's in severe pain. While animals are better are disguising pain than humans, you'll often notice some signs if you look closely. Cats in pain may be restless and aggressive, sitting in a hunched and uncomfortable looking position. They sometimes stop attending to usual needs, neglecting to groom themselves or defecating where they shouldn't. Other pain-related behaviours include refusal to eat, repeated meowing, and other changes in personality. Aside from the fact that no pet owner wants their beloved furry friend to be in pain, worsening pain can also be a sign that the infection is getting more serious, so it's important that you get your cat to a vet quickly if she's showing signs of severe discomfort.

Share