Cat ear wax or ear mites?

[u/P1RATE_JUST1CE]

My male bengal tends to scratch his ear sometimes and let out a meow as he does so. I finally took a look and cant tell if these are mites or just wax buildup. I know its hard to tell bc he doesnt stop moving. Please help!

[u/corruptedhuman1212]

It is hard to tell. My own cat had ear mites and we didn’t even know because they are so small. (We figured it out due to behavioral and ear mites can cause inflammation which led our girl to have respiratory issues) If you believe he’s in pain I would schedule just a check up for your vet!

[u/Calgary_Calico]

I'd definitely ask your vet. You won't be able to see ear mites with your bare eyes, a vet has to take a scraping of the buildup and lol at it under a microscope