How feline otitis externa differs from canine disease, from anatomy to treatment

Ear disease can be harder to read in cats than in dogs. The inflammation may be less visible, the canal can look different under the otoscope, and in some cats a polyp or secondary infection is already underway before much shows on exam. That gap between what a cat presents with and what's actually happening in the ear is part of why feline otitis can be missed. Sonja Zabel, DVM, DACVD, founder of Peak to Coast Veterinary Specialists Otology & Dermatology in Portland, Oregon, sees a lot of these cases. In an interview with dvm360 at the 2026 AVMA Convention, where she presented on the topic, she talked through what can set the feline ear apart—the anatomy, the growths that can drive a secondary infection, and why treatment sometimes means looking past the one product labeled for cats. The slides that follow walk through her main points.