Took Hat upstairs last night to clean his ear.

I wrapped him up in a blanket, but once the cotton bud touched his ear, Hat would snarl and scratch.

Sister S helped me to tie Hat up again, and put him on her lap, holding his paws. I managed to clean the ear about five times. Each time the bud was coated with thick, dark brown gunk. YUCK YUCK YUCK. I would like to clean some more, but Hat was totally pissed off by then. We decided to stop there, and let him go. At least we only have to do it once a day, and feeding the tablets is not a problem.

Hat's ear infection explains why he has been hard of hearing lately. He didn't appear promptly when I called for him. And why Spencer had been chasing him away. She did the same thing to Max too. But Max stayed still for us to clean his ears, and now he is happy and well.