Mites or earwax?

My cat has some very small dark specks in his ear, but they don't look as intense or dark as the images I can find online of ear mites. Are these mites or just normal earwax? I have noticed him scratching his ear(s) occasionally and shaking his head but can't tell if it's more than what is a normal amount, it doesn't seem troublingly frequent.

Hello!  I'm afraid I'm not sure from here.  In my experience, most ear disease is not caused by mites - and when large numbers of mites are present, it can be because there is lower immunity or more ear discharge than usual - i.e. the increase in mites can be secondary to another problem and not necessarily the underlying cause.  It sounds as if your concern is whether or not your cat needs to go to the vets.  It sounds a bit stupid, but you could put marks on a calendar, to satisfy yourself as to whether an increasing amount of head-shaking is going on.  Head-shaking or scratching can have multiple causes including allergy, mites etc. and if it does appear to increase in frequency, then a trip to the vets is a good idea. Head-shaking can be neurological too, so is not necessarily connected to something inside the ear. Alternatively, your vet could simply look down there anyway for you and if they have any concerns, they may flag them up sooner rather than later.  Wishing you all the best and please do let us know how you get on.