Otohematoma in cats: this is why the cat has swollen ears
Does the feline have a swollen or blood-filled ear? It could be otohematoma in the cat. Let’s see together what it is.
When living with a feline, or with any other pet, you pay attention to all possible physical and behavioural changes that your pet may suddenly present.
It can sometimes happen to see your furry friend’s ears swollen or hot and you wonder what the cause of this condition is. It could be a feline otohematoma. But let’s see together what it is and how we can help our four-legged friend.
Otohematoma in cats: causes and symptoms
The otohematoma is nothing more than a clot of blood that can occur at the level of the fin of the cat’s ear.
The auricular fin is one of the two parts that make up the external ear of our four-legged friend, the other part is the auricle.
The ear fin is made up of internal cartilage covered with skin and is filled with blood vessels. When the cartilage of the auricular fin presents a lesion, the vessels break and the blood escapes from the inside, creating an accumulation in that area and thus giving rise to an otohematoma.
The main causes of this condition are related to trauma:
Animal bites
The cat shakes its head hard
The feline scratches his ear hard (perhaps due to otitis)
Capillary fragility
The symptoms of otohematoma in cats appear as very visible symptoms, in fact we can note:
Ear swollen
Ear hot
Crumpled ear
The latter case could occur when the lesion that caused the cat’s ear hematoma has not been treated. In this case, the blood has already clotted and caused the ear cartilage to wrap.
Otohematoma in cats: here’s how to treat it
The otoematoma in cats is a benign condition. However, it is very important to treat it in time, as it could cause deformation of the cat’s auricle.
Also after treating this condition it is very important that it does not recur. To make this happen, it is absolutely necessary to treat the pathologies that may have caused it, such as otitis or atopic dermatitis of the cat, as they cause the feline to scratch or shake its head strongly.
That said, feline otohematoma is treated initially with aspiration and drainage of the hematoma, after which corticosteroids may be prescribed to relieve the cat’s itch. However, the best treatment for this condition is surgery.
