I have a male outdoor cat who scratches his right ear, and I have taken him to the vet for cleaning and medication on several occasions. I notice the problem when he shakes his head, trying to loosen or shake something from the ear. I wet a cotton ball and wash what dirt out that I can. He acts like there is something down deep in one of his ears. He rubs his head in the dirt and grass to get relief. I can't get him to hold still long enough to use a Q-tip, which I'm reserved about using since I don't know how far to go before it begins to hurt him. The vet says some cats just have itchy ears. Is there some home remedy that might work like putting a few drops of sweet oil in there?

Ear problems in cats, while not as common as in dogs, do occur relatively often. The most common cause is an ear mite infection, followed by yeast and bacterial infections. Sometimes infections of the outer ear spread to the inner ear. This can be very painful condition and difficult to eradicate. In extreme cases surgery may be necessary to drain the inner ear.

Examination of the exudates from the ear will determine whether mites are present or if there is an infection, in which case an antibiotic may be needed. Be careful in your cleaning activities, as aggressive cleaning and poking with a Q-tip may make matters worse.

Your veterinarian will show you the correct way to clean your cat's ears. If the cotton ball is too wet, water may get into the ear canal and this should be avoided. Sometimes it may be necessary to anesthetize a cat to be able to examine the ears properly.

Occasionally a few drops of gently warmed (not hot) mineral or olive oil can be introduced to give some relief and this would then be wiped very gently with a dry cotton ball. This will remove any exudates or dirt. In order to clean the outer ear (pinna) a baby wipe or personal wipe works well. In rare cases ear irritation may be a symptom of an underlying disease.

My 10-year-old male cat has a very high concentration of red blood cells -- 67 percent. Everything I have read and concurred by my vet is that he may have polycythemia. We are taking him to Virginia Tech for further diagnosis. If there is no underlying cause (tumor, etc.), Is there any medication he can take to lower the count? A weekly trip to the vet for blood thinning is costly and not the quality of life I want for my pet.

Polycythemia is basically a disease of the elderly and is from overactive bone marrow production of red blood cells. The onset is gradual with increased thirst, urine production, loss of appetite, depression and weakness. It is diagnosed by taking a blood sample.

Where there is a clinical crisis, treatment consists of removing some blood and replacing it with isotonic intravenous fluids. There are two drugs available that can be used to suppress the overactive bone marrow, but both require careful monitoring with frequent blood tests.

I am sure that you received some excellent information and help from your trip to the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine.

What do people mean by the "Dog Days of Summer?"

Dog days are the hottest summer days from July 3 to Aug. 11, when it is hot and sultry. The origin dates to Roman times, when it was believed that Sirius, the Dog Star, added its heat to that of the sun during this period. More recently, some people in the Mediterranean area assumed incorrectly that it referred to the time of the year when dogs went mad and rushed around in a frenzy because of the heat.

Jill Bowen has practiced veterinary medicine in England and Texas and has taught at Texas A&M. She lives with her veterinarian husband and two cats in Blacksburg. If you have a question, please write to her in care of The Roanoke Times, P.O. Box 540, Christiansburg VA 24068, or send an e-mail to mjbowen@radford.edu.