Feline Ear Polyps

Feline Ear Polyps.

Ear polyps in cats is not a very common ailment.

Most often it afflicts cats at the age of 1-4 years.

The symptoms may mimic that of an ear infection, or ear mites. Your cat may scratch her ear, have a droopy ear, and have a discharge from the ear. If the polyps are in the middle ear, it can affect your cats ability to walk in a normal way.

Any symptoms related to the ear should be given to a professional for diagnosis.

Ear polyps are not diagnosable at home without the proper instruments to view deep into the ear canal. If there is a lot of discomfort around the ear, your vet may have to do the exam under sedation.

Undiagnosed and untreated ear polyps can cause serious damage to the ear drum. Getting the proper diagnosis, is important.

The treatment consists of surgically removing the polyps. While their stalk can be cut off and the polyp removed, it is not the recommended course of action since a large percentage of polyps will grow back unless the actual base of the polyp is removed.

In order to remove the base the lower part of the bone surrounding the eardrum has to be removed.

This surgery is very effective and very few cats have a reoccurrence of the ear polyps. However it is delicate surgery and should only be performed by a specialist.