Cat Ear Hematoma: Symptoms and Treatment
📝 Summary
A cat ear hematoma forms when an external-parasite infection makes the cat scratch its ear, causing bleeding or fluid buildup under the ear-flap skin into a swelling. When you notice an ear hematoma, watch the cat's daily behavior.
1 Cat Ear Hematoma
Main symptoms of cat ear hematoma
A swelling rises under the skin of the outer ear flap, with no wound or bleeding; it may or may not be painful, itches, and the cat often shakes its head or scratches the ear with a hind leg.
How a cat ear hematoma is diagnosed
The vet assesses the ear carefully and feels the swelling, and also checks the ear canal, with otoscopy after visual examination. To prevent the cat resisting, anesthesia is needed; a detailed ear-canal check can be done during hematoma surgery.
How a cat ear hematoma is treated
Ear hematomas are hard to cure fully; the vet usually drains, incises under anesthesia, or places a drain to temporarily remove the fluid (though it may return), and finds and treats the root cause (such as a parasite infection) comprehensively. Owners should fit the cat with an Elizabethan collar to reduce scratching.
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