What is an aural haematoma?

An aural haematoma is a blood filled pinna (earflap). It is caused by trauma to the blood vessels within the pinna that burst, filling the space between the cartilage and the overlaying skin with blood. 

The most common causes of aural haematoma in cats is from cat fights and ear infections. It is important that the cat gets examined by a vet in order to identify the underlying cause and treat it.

The earflap needs to be emptied of its contents if it gets pus-filled as a result from a cat bite.

If an ear infection is the cause, the infection needs to be treated. In these cases the content within the earflap is not infected and you can wait to see if it goes away on its own.

Sometimes it can help to inject cortisone into the earflap after it has been emptied to help prevent it from filling up with blood gain. If this does not work, surgery may be required. There is always a risk that the earflap becomes deformed after it has had a haematoma because of scar tissue formation. This is often only a cosmetic defect and does not cause a problem unless the defect covers the opening to the ear canal as this increases the risk of developing ear infections.