My boy kitty has lots of dark brown or blackish goop in his ears, and as much as I clean them, it's not decreasing. He's not scratching them, and I don't see any signs of rawness or inflammation. He has a weird smell and i'm not sure where that's coming from (though I can wiff it, my nose is not sensitive enough to specify).
I've used a tincture dropper to put peroxide in his ears in the evening. Sometimes following with olive oil. I have also used a diluted mix of baking soda and a few drops of tea tree oil (though I read somebody's post that tea tree oil is poison for cats. Is it?). A few times I used vinegar which has had garlic steeping in it. And I use q-tips carefully to wipe out gunk. Though he will only tolerate so much at a time, so I can never get it all at once. Though of course I won't go down the ear canal, which seems to be completely clotted up with gunk! But by the next evening, there's always just as much gunk in his ears again, as if I hadn't done anything!
I just picked up the boy a few weeks ago, to be a companion for my 7mo-old gal kitty, from an individual who got him as a rescue - neutered, shots and dewormed (though he's had gas, a few rounds of diarrea, and what seems to me to be a bit of a belly, though otherwise appears healthy with lots of feisty energy, a healthy appetite, and I have not yet seen any worms. ). They guessed he was 6mo-old.
Oh, and about his ears, the rescue paper says: "ivermectin(?) in ears repeat in 2 wks". Or that's what the sloppy handwriting looks like anyways. What does that treat? Maybe it's a clue to what it is.
My girl's ears are fine so far, so hopefully it's not something she can easily get from him. They are outdoors during the day, and in the bathroom at night. I haven't detected any fleas at all, in the 4-5 months that i've had my gal.
Any suggestions to what this could be, and how else to treat it?
The food that came with him is good quality, no wheat/corn/soy, artificial stuff, or by-products. But it is kitten food and contains colostrum, and 10% more protein than what I give my girl. Could that be causing his gas and bit-of-belly? I also supplement them with a few spoons of sardines or makerel, sometimes plain kefir, a bit of raw ground turkey a few times a week, and she loves a bit of avocado or raw egg occasionally. Any comments on those?
Thanks! I cannot afford a vet right at this moment, and my immediate area doesn't have much for options anyways, unless I drive out of town. I wouldn't have had the first kitty for this reason, except that a friend pleaded with me that she needed a home right away.
