Eyes, ears and nose and your Cat

By Sophie Kininmonth · 17 Oct 2025 (updated 21 Jul 2026) ·6 min read

A cat's eyes, ears and nose are precision instruments, tuned for low light, faint sound and subtle scent trails rather than raw human-style detail. Most people read up on them after noticing something small but nagging: a bit of eye "sleep", a head shake, a sneeze that won't quit, or ears that look darker than usual. The sensory organs sit right at the boundary between normal daily upkeep and problems that can worsen quickly if they are missed. This guide covers how those organs are built, what normal tends to look like, which changes are worth taking seriously, and how to clean safely without pushing debris deeper or irritating delicate tissue.

How a cat's eyes, ears and nose are built

Cats are wired for scarce light, high-frequency sound and chemical cues we would never register. Each organ trades off some abilities to be very good at others, and that shows up in everyday behaviour.

Eyes

A cat's eyes are built to gather scarce light and register movement. A reflective layer behind the retina, the tapetum lucidum, recycles light that passes through the retina, which is why a cat's eyes appear to "glow" when a torch hits them at night.¹

Cats also have a third eyelid, the nictitating membrane. It helps protect the surface of the eye and spread tears, and it is sometimes visible when a cat is very relaxed, sleepy, or unwell.²

Ears

The outer ear, the pinna, is moved by many small muscles, letting a cat swivel and aim each ear to sample sound from different directions. Cats hear much higher frequencies than we do. Behavioural testing has found hearing extending into ultrasonic ranges, up to around 85 kHz under test conditions.³

Nose and the scent-sensing add-ons

A cat's nose does more than detect odours. Cats also use a specialised scent system, the vomeronasal organ, to process certain chemical cues. You will sometimes see this when a cat pauses and draws air in with an open mouth, the flehmen response.⁴

Common eye, ear and nose problems

Eyes: conjunctivitis and other causes of weepy eyes

Conjunctivitis, inflammation of the tissues around the eye, is common in cats and can be linked with infectious upper respiratory disease, irritants, or other eye surface problems. Redness, squinting, obvious discomfort, or thick yellow-green discharge are all reasons to arrange a veterinary check rather than trying to manage it at home.⁵

Ears: mites and otitis

Ear trouble often shows up as head shaking, scratching, sensitivity, a smell, or dark debris. Ear mites (Otodectes cynotis) are a frequent cause, especially in kittens and cats with outdoor contact, and they can lead to significant irritation and secondary infection if not treated properly.⁶

Otitis externa, inflammation or infection of the outer ear canal, can also occur, and if it progresses it can affect deeper ear structures with consequences for hearing and balance. A vet exam matters here because treatment depends on the cause: mites, bacteria, yeast, foreign material, or allergy-related inflammation.⁷

Nose: the cat cold picture

Sneezing, nasal discharge and congestion are classic signs of feline upper respiratory infection, which is often contagious between cats, especially in multi-cat households. Some cats stay bright and keep eating. Others feel miserable and stop eating, which is where the risk rises quickly.⁵

Cleaning eyes, ears and nose safely

Eyes: gentle wipe, no chemicals

For small amounts of normal debris at the inner corner of the eye, use damp cotton wool or a soft pad and wipe away from the eye. Avoid rubbing the eyeball itself, and use a fresh pad for each eye to reduce the chance of spreading infection.⁸

Ears: never use cotton buds in the canal

If your cat has only light wax at the entrance of the ear and no pain, smell, heavy discharge or redness, you can clean the visible outer ear with cotton wool or gauze and a vet-recommended ear cleaner.

Do not use cotton-tipped applicators (cotton buds or Q-tips). They can push debris deeper and can injure the ear canal or even the eardrum.⁹
Do not deep clean an ear that looks infected or very painful. That needs a vet exam first.⁹

Nose: wipe the outside only

Use a damp, soft cloth to wipe away discharge from the outside of the nostrils. Do not insert anything into the nostrils, and do not use fragranced wipes. If the discharge is persistent or thick, or your cat is congested and off food, treat it as a reason to book a vet visit rather than a cleaning problem.⁵

Allergies and their look-alikes

Allergies in cats often announce themselves through skin signs: itching, over-grooming, scabs, and sometimes watery eyes or sneezing. The tricky part is that infections, parasites (including fleas), and irritants can look very similar from across the room.

If a person in the household is reacting to the cat, it is worth knowing that "hypoallergenic" cats are not reliably supported by evidence. The main allergen sources are saliva and skin particles (dander), not just fur.¹⁰

Why regular vet check-ups matter

Cats carry on quietly, even when an eye is sore or an ear canal is inflamed. Routine check-ups give your vet a chance to look properly into the ears, check the eyes for surface pain and internal clarity, and spot early changes before they turn into ongoing discomfort or recurring infection.

Protecting the senses from environmental hazards

Most household hazards are simple, persistent irritants: smoke, aerosols, strong cleaning fumes, dusty renovation areas, and heavily scented products. Keeping the air calm and clean matters more than frequently cleaning your cat's face. Watch the quiet hazards too: grass seeds and plant fragments can lodge in eyes and noses, and repeated loud noise can be stressful even when it causes no obvious injury.

Understanding your cat's sense of smell

Much of a cat's world is mapped in scent. Scent-marking, rubbing the face and body on objects, is a normal way of leaving chemical information behind. The flehmen response, with its open mouth, slightly raised lip and still posture, is one way cats pull scent molecules towards the vomeronasal organ for extra analysis.⁴

The bottom line

A healthy cat's eyes, ears and nose usually look quiet: clear eyes with minimal debris, ears without smell or heavy discharge, and a clean nose that is easy to breathe through. When something changes, whether colour, smell, swelling, repeated scratching, squinting or a drop in appetite, it is often more useful to stop cleaning and start observing, then take that information to your vet.

References

Sophie Kininmonth

Dog lover and writer at My Pets Australia, sharing practical breed guides and care advice for Australian pet owners.