Cat's Ear Scratch Mystery: Pictures Reveal the Truth!

It's quite common for cats to occasionally scratch behind their ears with their paws. However, if this scratching becomes too frequent, it might indicate an underlying issue such as a parasitic infection, skin condition, or ear disease. If the cause is not addressed promptly, excessive scratching can lead to hair loss, bleeding, and infections in the cat's ears, potentially causing conditions like aural hematoma or otitis media.

Understanding the Common Reasons for Cats to Scratch Behind Their Ears

1. Skin Issues

● Ringworm: Caused by a fungal infection, this condition can lead to itching, hair loss, and the appearance of circular or elliptical patches on the skin. These patches may have dandruff, redness, and scabs, and may exhibit a green fluorescence under a Wood's lamp.

● Mite Infestation: Cats infected with mange mites or demodex mites may experience itching, redness, thickening, and inflammation of the skin, sometimes accompanied by an unpleasant odor.

● Allergies: Cats can also be allergic to food, pollen, dust mites, or flea saliva in the environment, leading to ear itching. In such cases, besides scratching their ears, cats might excessively lick their fur or show skin rashes.

2. Ear Problems

● Bacterial Otitis: Cats may develop bacterial infections in their ears due to water exposure, injury, or foreign bodies, leading to outer or middle ear infections, causing itching, pain, and discomfort.

● Malassezia Infection: This lipophilic yeast can cause itching, redness, and increased secretion in the ears, with brownish, oily discharge and a strong, unpleasant odor.

● Ear Mites: These common parasites cause severe itching and lead cats to scratch their ears and surrounding areas. Ear mite infections can also result in increased ear secretions, appearing as dark, granular material resembling coffee grounds.

● Foreign Body Irritation: Sometimes, cats might sustain minor injuries behind their ears during play or other activities, or may have small foreign objects (like grass seeds) trapped in their ears. These can also cause discomfort and lead to frequent scratching.

Effective Measures to Address the Issue

Inspect your cat's ears and the skin around them. If the ears appear clean, the itching is likely due to a skin condition. Here's how to handle it:

1. Use a Wood's lamp to examine the affected area. If green fluorescence is detected, it may indicate ringworm. Trim the fur around the affected area by 23 cm, disinfect with iodine, and apply Dasatin (ketokonazole ointment) or spray Pipette (terbinafine hydrochloride spray) twice a day.

2. If no green fluorescence is observed, a veterinary visit for a skin scraping examination is necessary to identify the specific pathogen and tailor the treatment accordingly.

If your cat shows symptoms like excessive ear discharge, red and swollen pinnae, thickening, and a strong odor, it may be suffering from ear mites or otitis. Home remedies can be considered for mild cases:

✔ Ear Mites:

Ear Cleanse (pet ear cleaning solution) → Clean the ear discharge

Healing Balm (miconazole nitrate ointment) → Antiinflammatory and antiparasitic

Dropit (pyriproxyfen moxidectin drops) → Regular deworming to prevent recurrence

✔ Malassezia Infection:

Ear Cleanse → Clean the ear discharge

Ketokonazole Ointment → Topical application to inhibit fungi

Itraconazole → Oral medication for systemic antifungal treatment

✔ Bacterial External Otitis:

Ear Cleanse → Clean the inflammatory factors in the ear canal for better observation of recovery

Earidrops (florfenicol metronidazole ear drops) → Antiinflammatory and antibacterial

Essentia (cefadroxil tablets) → Further control of infection, suitable for severe inflammation and excessive discharge

If home remedies do not improve the situation or if your cat exhibits severe symptoms like fever, loss of appetite, ataxia, or seizures, it's crucial to seek veterinary care immediately.