I've tried two things with Binky (he's overproducing ear wax - the other cats luckily don't need help with ear cleaning):

I bought an ear wash solution at the pet store that you drip into the ear, massage in, let soak for a minute or two and then just let the cat go and shake his head. He tolerates it better if you warm the ear wash to about body temperature (e.g. by placing the bottle into a container with warm water for a while) before using it. You have to be careful not to get it into the eyes (it burns - speaking of experience with a struggling cat shaking it all over my face). I usually take a cotton ball and clean out whatever was shaken into the outer ear, but it dries up pretty quickly. It's supposed to be used once a month. I don't like the idea of putting liquid down the ear very much, so I don't use it that much, just to dislodge ear wax if the ears get really dirty deep down the ear canal.

The other thing I do is occasionally taking a cotton ball and a few Q-tips soaked in baby oil and gently cleaning out anything I can see and reach without putting the Q-tips down into the ear canal. (Don't ever go directly into the ear canal - it can cause serious injury, especially when the cat is struggling. You don't want to end up with a ruptured ear drum.) I've read some people use hydrogen peroxide and water instead of oil, but I find the wax comes off better with the oil and it's more soothing and less irritating for the skin. I either sneak up on him while he's sleeping or have the oil and Q-tips nearby places where he likes to sit on my lap (e.g. in the tv room). Once he's up on my lap, I cuddle and restrain him under my arm and get to work on his ears. He hates it with a passion, of course, and I usually get only one done before he squirms away. First, I basically brush a layer of oil all around the visible parts of the inner ear and let it soak for a while to soften the wax. Next time I can catch him, I use dryer cotton to wipe out as much of the oil/wax as I can. Always try to wipe from the inside out so you don't end up pushing wax down into the ear canal.

Luckily Binky is relatively easy to handle, but he doesn't like having his ears cleaned either and will flatten them as close to his head as he can. I can imagine that it might be very hard to do with a cat even more determined to struggle. You might need two people with one person restraining and scruffing the cat while the other folds back the ear and cleans it. Or wrap the cat in a towel with only the head exposed. I wouldn't put a cat through the stress of it unless it's really necessary. A normal amount of ear wax is not only harmless, but actually healthy for the ear. It is anti-bacterial and removing too much too often can cause a higher susceptibility to ear infections. Only when it becomes too much or infested/infected (e.g. ear mites) would cleaning become really necessary and every cat is different. If in doubt, ask your vet for advice.

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I wish Ace and Shine would clean their ears a little better! Ace will let me clean his ears-no problem but Shine...she would let me near her ears with any kind of tissue or cotton ball or anything!

Thanks for posting some suggestions--I was also going to look for some kind of cleaner that is a disposable finger wrapper thing--I saw it in a catalog and now I can't find it. So hard to describe...maybe someone knows what I am talking about?

Has anyone ever tried ear cleaning with a pair of cotton gloves? I imagine if Shine thought I wasn't trying to put anything in her ears, I could clean them without bloodshed....

How funny- I just cleaned all my cat's ears tonight. I use kitty ear wipes that I bought from PetSmart. I find if I hold the cat in one arm, with it's butt up against the crook of my elbow and my side, and use the wipe with the other hand, they can't back out. They put their heads down, which actually makes it easier. They don't love it, but this usually gets the job done.

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Carol Goodall

"People that hate cats will come back as mice in their next life!"