Why is the inside of my ear bleeding?

Slight bleeding/scabs inside cat's ear?

• Just noticed tonight that our new cat's left year (and ONLY) the left ear had some buildup of wax and dried blood (and a little what looked like fresher blood). Wondering what it could possibly be? I've considered ear mites, but none of our other pets (with whom she is constantly playing) have any signs of mites. I wasn't even noticing excessive scratching of the area, and didn't realize there was anything wrong until I noticed the dog obsessively licking the inside of the cat's ear (they are bros). I cleaned the ear with the ear cleaner we have and didn't observe any discomfort on her part when I was wiping it out or touching the area. Going to keep observing her and cleaning it out daily and see what happens. One thought I had is that her back claws were getting overgrown (they've been trimmed now) and I wonder if she nicked herself while scratching that ear. DISCLAIMER: obviously, if the situation continues or she starts to show signs of really favoring that ear, I am going to take her to the vet. I'm just looking for clues as to what could be behind this.

• Answer:

  You sound like you are staying on top of it :) I work at a cat rescue and we see cats come in with this problem quite often. Since you've already ruled out ear mites (she would be itching if it were), my first thought is that it is some kind of minor injury (she may have scratched herself there, or had another animal scratch her). This would explain the buildup and the fresh-looking blood and the scabs. Just make sure to keep cleaning both of her ears, as a precaution use a fresh wipe for each ear, though I doubt it is contagious. Hopefully it clears up within a few days - sometimes it takes a little longer because cats will scratch the injury and reopen the wound before it can scab and heal. I think besides the cleaning that you are doing, maybe apply some over the counter antibiotic ointment twice a day to prevent infection.