If a cat scratches its ears and shakes its head, this does not always indicate that the pet is sick.
The disease may be accompanied by the following symptoms: refusal to eat, nervousness, meowing, the appearance of an unpleasant odor and discharge from the ears.
A simple explanation for itching is poor hygiene.
More serious causes are ear scabies, otitis media, dermatitis, mite damage, the formation of hematomas, tumors, and polyps. In order not to start the disease, you should take the cat to the veterinarian at the first manifestations.
Why does a cat scratch its ears?
If your pet begins to behave restlessly, constantly scratch itself and shake its head, the reason for this may be the animal’s predisposition to problems with hearing organs.
This category includes:
- Anomalies in shell structure.
- Anatomical structure of the organ associated with the characteristics of the pet’s breed.
- Congenital narrowing of the auditory canal.
Problems can arise from injury during brushing, or from excessive wax production. Blockage of the ear canal occurs if the cat has polyps, granulomas or other tumors in the ears.
The primary factors for ear diseases include:
- Presence of mites in the ears.
- Entry of a foreign object.
- Allergic manifestations.
- Failure in the functionality of keratinization processes.
- Hyper or hypoplasia of the sulfur and sebaceous glands.
- Autoimmune pathologies.
- Damage to shells.
Supporting secondary factors:
- Disturbances in the balance of ear microflora.
- Penetration of fungal infection.
- Inflammation of the meatus followed by otitis media and fibrosis.
- Poor hygiene and improper cleaning.
Hygiene problems
If the breeder does not clean the pet's ears, then dirt accumulates in the animal's shells. This acts as a favorable soil for the production of pathogenic microorganisms.
Severe scratching may indicate the appearance of wax plugs.
This happens due to malfunction of the glands and increased secretion.
Sometimes this is related to the cat's breed . But improper aggressive cleaning of the passage can also provoke an abundance of sulfur.
In this case, no special treatment is required; you can remove the plug yourself by softening it with saline solution. If it is deep and cannot be treated, then to prevent damage to the ears it is necessary to show your pet to a veterinarian.
Diseases that cause itching
Ear scratching can be dangerous. Cats scratch their ears due to dermatitis, seborrhea, and otitis media.
Otitis
Characterized by tissue inflammation affecting the middle and inner ear. The disease can be the result of a cold, allergies, foreign body penetration, mites, infections, fungus, excess sulfur in the passages, liver and pancreas diseases.
With secondary otitis, a bacterial environment occurs, which is accompanied by purulent discharge and an increase in the pet’s temperature.
Dermatitis
May be superficial, purulent or oozing. Its symptoms, from ordinary scratching to purulent non-healing wounds, will depend on this.
Dermatitis can occur independently or be a consequence of otitis media, parasitic infection, or allergies. Pathology must be treated after identifying the cause of the disease .
Seborrhea
It begins when the functioning of the sebaceous glands is disrupted. A large amount of dandruff appears on the animal's fur. Problems with the glands may be congenital.
With dry seborrhea, there are no symptoms other than itching and dandruff; the weeping form of the disease leads to the loss of tufts of hair and the appearance of inflamed areas.
Hormonal disorders, problems with the thyroid gland, scabies, allergies, and dermatitis can cause pathology.
Parasitic lesion
Outdoors, your pet can become infected with fleas or ticks. Fleas live exclusively on animals and feed on their blood. Since insects are carriers of many diseases, during a bite they can transmit an infection to the cat.
When infected, small kittens develop anemia and allergic reactions. The animal may stop eating and lose a lot of weight.
Fleas live in a cat's fur. You can fight them at home using appropriate means. After treatment, your pet needs to be dewormed 2 weeks later.
Otodecosis (ear mite infestation) can affect one or both ears.
Scabies, caused by a parasite, causes the animal to scratch the shells until blood appears.
The pet becomes restless and nervous, he sleeps poorly, and refuses to eat. A sticky secretion is released from the ear canal, gluing the pile, which gives the cat a sickly appearance.
The tick itself is difficult to detect, but you can see its waste products and dark brown crusts in the depths of the passages.
The disease is contagious, so at the first manifestations it is necessary to take your pet to the veterinarian.
Infectious causes
Inflammation of the ears can spread throughout the entire auditory system: the disease can affect the concha, ear canal, middle and inner ear.
Inflammation can begin after untreated scabies, with improper care of the cat, or an allergic reaction to household chemicals or food.
The clinical picture in this case will depend on the degree, cause and location of the disease. Infectious pathology is accompanied by fever, apathy, refusal to eat, poor coordination of movements, and irritability.
In addition to scratching, the cat will constantly tilt its head towards the affected ear. With timely treatment, the prognosis is favorable, otherwise the animal may become deaf, and if the infection enters the brain, it will die.
What else causes itching?
A cat may scratch its ears when a foreign object gets into the ear canal. You should not take it out yourself - this can damage the eardrum.
The cat experiences itching and discomfort when tumors appear in the ears (tumors, polyps, hematomas). You cannot treat them yourself .
In the case of a hematoma, surgery and pumping out of the contents are often required. If a tumor occurs, the doctor diagnoses the disease and makes prognoses, choosing treatment.
The sooner surgery is performed, the greater the chance of a favorable outcome and preservation of the patient’s hearing.
Problems with the ears can occur after water procedures if the breeder did not use a special cap and water got into the auricle. Fluid stagnation causes inflammation, which can subsequently develop into a severe form of otitis.
Problem for small kittens
A kitten's anxiety can be due to any of the reasons listed above, but most often the problem is associated with otodectosis. Ear scabies occurs when infested with mites.
These parasites cannot be seen with the naked eye, which complicates the diagnosis and treatment process. Mites produce in the ear canal and shell.
Due to the pain, the kitten may meow pitifully and shake its head. If there is purulent discharge, you should immediately take your pet to the veterinarian, otherwise meningitis and death are possible.
What is behind this problem?
This behavior of the animal may indicate the presence of a disease associated with the ears. The veterinarian will determine which one. Your task is to monitor your pet, paying attention to the frequency with which it performs potentially dangerous actions.
Scratching the ears and shaking the head several times a day is quite typical for a cat. She can only do this because “she feels like it,” and that’s okay. In addition, this is an integral part of her usual hygiene. But if a cat scratches behind the ear regularly and for a long time, and also tears the skin, or shakes its head with an inclination to the same side, this is already a significant reason for concern.
Home treatment
You should not prescribe therapy on your own, as you can waste precious time and trigger the disease.
You can help your pet at home if you are aware of the problem of anxiety. If you have wax plugs, you need to clean your ears using saline solution and cotton swabs with limiters .
You need to instill the drug into each ear, 2 drops three times a day for a week. If the cork does not come out, you can remove it with a cotton swab.
Without knowing what to do, if the wax is deep, it is better to have the plug removed at a veterinary clinic.
Important. If a foreign object gets into your ear, you should not try to pull it out yourself: you can damage the ear canal or drive the object even deeper.
Also, do not use soap solution, alcohol or hydrogen peroxide - this can cause irritation or ulceration of the shell.
It is dangerous to warm up the ears, since if the cat has started a purulent process, this will provoke its intensification.
Treatment of the wound if the cat scratched his ears until they bled
Treatment is necessary not to eliminate the wound, but to eliminate the cause. To calm the animal a little, you can apply a cold herbal compress to the affected area. Oak bark, chamomile, and calendula are suitable for the decoction.
To disinfect the wound, you need to wipe it with a decoction or tincture of calendula that does not contain alcohol, then the affected area is treated with Levomekol ointment.
If a cat scratches its ears a lot, Suprastin and Diazolin help relieve itching.
Dermatitis and eczema cannot be wetted, so acetylsalicylic acid-based talkers are used to treat them.
Do-it-yourself ear cleaning
Dust and dirt constantly get into your ears, so hygienic cleaning of sinks must be carried out regularly. To do this, you need to have a special product purchased at a pet store, or use saline solution (0.9%).
In the absence of these drugs, ordinary warm boiled water and a cotton swab will do. Use a moistened swab to wipe only the visible part of the sink.
Do not try to penetrate deeply, as this may damage the ear..
If there is a large accumulation of sulfur, the cleaning composition is dropped into the ear and after 10 minutes the animal is allowed to shake out the excess secretion by shaking its head.
Then, using cotton wool, carefully remove the loose plug and any remaining substance.
The use of soap, peroxide or alcohol is controversial, as some veterinarians claim that after such manipulations ulcers may appear, or the volume of sulfur released increases.
Sarcopid mites
If your cat's ears are shaking, this could be a sign that she has another type of mite. Such mites can spread not only in the ear area, but also in other parts of the cat’s body. They cause another feline disease, notoedrosis.
The head is affected first, then the entire body. The skin at the site of infection becomes dry and dense, covered with a crust, and the crust subsequently cracks.
To make an accurate diagnosis, you need to show the cat to a specialist. He will take a sample from the surface of the skin for analysis. Only the outermost layer from the inflamed area is scraped off; ticks can be seen there.
Both types of ticks provoke severe itching in the animal, forcing them to scratch the skin until it bleeds. Scabies that affects the ears can lead a cat to deafness or meningitis; in especially severe cases, the death of the pet can occur.
Pet treatment
If you have a parasitic infection, you can treat your pet at home. Fleas are poisoned with special drops, anti-flea shampoos and insecticides for treating the premises. For prevention, the pet is wearing a collar that repels insects.
When treating otodectosis, ear drops Amitrazine and Frontline Spot On are used, and Stronghold is applied to the withers.
Before using the drops, clean the sinks with lotion Otoklin, Rosinka, Fitolar. In case of severe infection, use Benzyl benzoate or hyposulfite. If pus is released, therapy is expanded with antibiotics.
Otitis is treated with Aurican, Surolan, Bars, Oridermil.
For tick-borne inflammation, Tsipam, Decor, Anandin are prescribed. If the cause is a fungus, then it is advisable to use Aurizon, Clotrimazole.
A kitten with yeast and fungal otitis needs to restore its immunity, otherwise the problem will return again.
Bacterial otitis is treated with Otibiovin, Mastiet, Otonazole. In case of advanced pathology, blockades with Novocaine are necessary.
If scratching is caused by aggressive brushing, then light healing ointments can be used. It is not recommended to touch the shells at this time. The plugs are removed in the hospital or softened with saline solution.
For weeping dermatitis, the itching is relieved by instilling Novocaine, and the ulcers are dried with silver nitrate 2%.
The fungal infection is treated locally with the drug Chlorhexidine 0.05%, Ketoconazole tablets are given orally, and Otibiovin drops are injected into the sink.
If you have an allergy, it is important to understand the cause of the disease. Antihistamines taken by people help eliminate the problem.
Seborrhea is difficult to get rid of . The doctor prescribes what to treat; generally, bathing the pet using special shampoos (Fiprex, Doctor) is indicated.
If the problem is related to fungi, then Miconazole-based products are needed.
After bathing, you need to comb your pet. For dry seborrhea, to soften the skin, you should choose medications with vitamin A. This will help reduce flaking and itching.
Surgery
With early diagnosis of the problem and timely consultation with a doctor, the cat can be saved with conservative treatment.
Surgical treatment is necessary if a tumor is present . Sometimes this is required if a foreign object has penetrated too deeply.
A small incision is made to drain the hematoma. If there is an abscess, the wound is cleaned and drainage is installed to drain the pus.
Some forms of chronic otitis media cannot be cured with medications, so surgery is performed to narrow the ear canal.
Diagnosis of ear diseases in cats
Each disease has its own diagnostic method. The owner can determine whether a pet has ticks on his own. To do this, take a cotton swab and run it along the inside of the ear. Then transfer the scraping to a black cloth and examine the contents under a magnifying glass. As a rule, white parasites will be noticeable during such an examination.
In other cases, the diagnosis is carried out by a doctor. An accurate diagnosis is made based on a visual examination of the animal (wounds, scratches, peeling in the ears), smear, x-ray, ultrasound, bacterial culture. It is not always possible to use the latter method due to the lack of equipment in many clinics, but it is the most accurate.
Treatment depends on the specific disease and can be medicinal and surgical (in the presence of tumors).
Prevention measures
To prevent your pet from having ear problems, you need to properly care for the animal.
That means:
- Periodically inspect and clean sinks with a cotton swab.
- Control during bathing (you need to make sure that liquid does not get into the ear canal).
- Isolation of domestic animals from street animals.
- Ensuring proper nutrition for your pet. It should be balanced and varied. Vitamin supplements should be given periodically.
- Timely vaccination, deworming.
- Compliance with scheduled preventive examinations.
What could be the reasons?
Cats' ears are a very vulnerable organ. To solve the problem before it appears, every owner must understand how extensive the possible causes of the disease are. Among them:
- micro-trauma of the ear canal (improper cleaning, use of inappropriate products);
- the auricle is narrow in structure (features of specific breeds);
- blockage of the ear canal (due to polyps, foreign bodies, neoplasms);
- allergic skin diseases (to food or household chemicals);
- production of excess sulfur;
- inflammation of the ear canal as a result of past illnesses;
- the appearance of parasites (microscopic mites);
- development of fungal diseases;
- water getting into the ears.
Not every factor can be identified and prevented independently. Self-medication in such cases is contraindicated. Subsequent diagnostics is the task of a qualified specialist.
