Cleaning cats ears

[Sneaky2006]

I know we just had a post about olive oil for cleaning cats ears but I still have questions.
I couldn't find much on the net about it.
Do you have to clean your cats ears? Because I haven't.
My cats occasionally scratch at their ears until the outside it raw, but the inside looks clean, no odor or anything. No head shaking.
My vet says if there's no chance of mites (they don't go out, so I wouldn't think there would be a chance?) and if they look clean, smell clean they're fine. I guess I should've asked him how to clean them anyway... my ears would itch if they were dirty right?
When I look in their ears, the parts you can see without getting up in there is always spotless... but when you look inside (when they let me pull the ear back a bit) it looks dirty. Is that wax or what? Do I need to clean it? And how far in do you go? And do I use olive oil, what else is there?

[Prin]

I would ask the vet for cat ear cleaner. I wouldn't use olive oil. THen ask him while you are there. You really don't go far in. Use a cotton ball and go as far in as it lets you without forcing at all. Usually, just slightly (mm) in from the actual ear. Also, most of the time when a cat is scratching because of an ear infection, it has already progressed from the inner ear to the outer ear.

I'm surprised that your vet didn't show you how to do it when you were asking about itchy ears.

[Sneaky2006]

Thanks for the info...
I wasn't there recently... I just called about it and forgot to ask about how to clean them. I guess it would be hard to explain.

2 cats have done this that I know of... Snooky's done it probably 4 times in the 5 years that we've had him and he's going to the vet soon to have his teeth looked at so I can ask away then, hopefully I don't forget this time!
I'm always paranoid that I'm going to do something wrong with them, or not at all. So I normally call when something is bothering me and I think they have record of it because they sound like they don't want to be talking about it.
I think I need a new vet. Like we say here you can't diagnose over the net, (or phone) but small things you should be able to call a vet about and not spend 50$ for just walking through the door like they want. I think that's why they get annoyed with me.
Oh well, thanks again... he'll be seen soon anyway, he's the one who does it the most, which still isn't much.

[Lucky Rescue]

It's not normal for cats to scratch their ears until they are raw. I would take at least one to the vet, to see if they do have earmites or an infection of some sort.