Advice needed: cat scratching ear

darla · September 2007

My cat has been scratching her left ear on and off for the past few days. I cleaned her ears over the weekend. It doesn't look like she has ear mites. It doesn't feel dry, but maybe that's why she is scratching.

MOD · September 2007

Maybe it's an allergic reaction to something.
Have you introduced her to any new foods, toys, objects, scents...?

lilbangladesh · September 2007

It might be herpes. Have you noticed any discoloration or hair loss about the ear? Herpes is usually not treated unless it causes the cat to scratch. Sometimes it causes itchy ears or mouth, but often times it doesn't. I had a cat with herpes and it didn't bother her at all, only when the virus was active, her ears would go bald, but the hair would grow back as soon as the virus was dormant again.

Anyway, intensive ear scratching is a worry. Even if there is nothing seriously wrong with the cat, the constant scratching could cause an infection. Get thee to a vet.

daver · September 2007

lilbangladesh wrote: It might be herpes. Have you noticed any discoloration or hair loss about the ear? Herpes is usually not treated unless it causes the cat to scratch. Sometimes it causes itchy ears or mouth, but often times it doesn't. I had a cat with herpes and it didn't bother her at all, only when the virus was active, her ears would go bald, but the hair would grow back as soon as the virus was dormant again.

Um, well, I learn something every day. Today, my learning was odd.
http://members.aol.com/mdserval/fherpes.html
Interesting, I never knew that.

darla · September 2007

Mamacita, I just started giving her cat grass. I will stop that for the next few days and see if she stops scratching. If not, I will bring her to the vet.

lilbangladesh · September 2007

Daver, that link made me think that maybe my cat Tuly has herpes too, just different symptoms. Her eyes have a lot of pus and discharge and when I first got her, she sneezed a lot. Though the symptoms have ameliorated a lot on their own. The vet only told me to feed her more because she was underweight.

dakotas way · September 2007

Subject: cat scrathing ears

After my brother passed away last December we took in his cats. One has herpes and has the same symptoms of a swollen and pussy eye and sneezing. Not much you can do about it actually.
But we only had one outbreak and the other cats have been fine so our fingers are crossed.

leozoeypiper · September 2007

If you think that you cat has the herpes virus (water eyes, etc.) then add 500mg of L-Lysine to it's food once a day as needed. You will see a big difference. Get L-Lysine in the capsule form so that it's easy to mix it into wet food. It works like a champ. You can purchase it at any natural food store. I always get it at Back to the Land or Whole Foods.

lilbangladesh · September 2007

Well, there are fewer allergens in my new apartment and the air is cleaner here, so her symptoms have eased up a lot on their own.

The important thing is that she isn't scratching, which is the only herpes symptom that vets worry about.

darla · October 2007

So I took my baby to the vet.

Nothing definitive. Negative for ear mites, but there was a lot of dirt in her ear canal. She got a thorough cleaning. The vet gave me a liquid cleanser (for every other day use) and an antibiotic (everyday). Previously, I had been using the wet pads.

I'm bringing her back at the end of the week for a follow up.

She's not scratching any more, just bothered by the liqiud in her ear and trying to shake it out profusely.

lilbangladesh · October 2007

Ah, that old bugaboo! TOO MUCH EARWAX!!!!

Yeah, that can itch. My cats have not had that problem, but I have. Definitely would get one clawing at one's ear.

Advice needed: cat scratching ear

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