If you notice that your cat scratches your ear more often than usual, you need to carefully monitor it for a day. There can be many reasons for this behavior of the animal. It is quite difficult to find out the cause on your own, as ear diseases often have many common symptoms.
To determine the cause, you need the advice of an experienced specialist. Therefore, noticing that the cat scratches its ears, bends its head to the side, behaves uneasily, do not self-medicate and postpone the visit to the veterinarian.
The causes of the disease
Sometimes owners of animals notice that the cat shakes its ear and scratches it very eagerly. At the same time, it is clear even to a layman that she is very worried about this site. It is very dangerous to ignore such symptoms, since your pet can scratch the inside of the auricle very strongly (to the blood). As a result, non-healing inflammation appears, which often leads to blood poisoning.
The main factors provoking ear pruritus:
- ear tick (otodectosis);
- hematoma after an injury;
- fungus;
- abscess;
- otitis;
- eczema and dermatitis;
- foreign body;
- accumulation of sulfur;
- allergy.
Let us consider in more detail the most common reasons to understand why a cat scratches its ears, than to treat an animal for various diseases.
Ear mite
The most common disease that is most common in young cats and small kittens is ear scabies. Detect this disease will help cleaning the ears. If during this procedure you find a mass of brown color, which also weakly moves, it means that the cat is tormented by ear mites (this mass is an accumulation of microscopic organisms). It is they that cause in your pet a severe itch.
In some cases, as a result of combing, blood poisoning develops, which often leads to the death of the animal. But despite such dire consequences, a cat after consultation with a veterinarian can be successfully treated at home.
Treatment
First of all, the tick mass, which is usually collected in crusts, is removed from the ears. To do this, use a cotton swab dipped in any vegetable oil. When the ears are completely cleaned, they are internally treated with such preparations as Amitraz, Hexachloran, Tsipam, Amitrazin. The procedure is carried out five times in three days.
At the same time, drops from the ear tick (for cats) "Aurikan" are used every day for seven days. Further treatment is continued for a month, but the ears are buried twice a week. The coat around the affected ear is moistened with Neostomazan solution. For preventive purposes, they use "Stronhold", "Bars", "Front Line". During the treatment period, the animal is isolated from contacts with other pets.
Today there are many drugs for the treatment of this disease, so choosing a suitable drop from an ear tick for cats will help a veterinarian or zoo pharmacy worker. In addition, in the clinic you can also recommend natural remedies that are no less effective than chemicals that are contraindicated for kittens, pregnant cats and weakened elderly animals. In this case, the ears are treated from the inside with vegetable oil, and then 2-3 drops of camphor oil are instilled into each (including healthy) ear.
Otitis
Quite often, pet owners turn to veterinarians complaining that the cat constantly scratches its ears. What to do in this case? A common cause of ear pruritus in cats is otitis media - an inflammation of the ear. This ailment is caused by such reasons:
- foreign body;
- hypothermia.
This disease is manifested by the following symptoms, which are difficult not to notice:
- the cat scratches the ear;
- shakes his head;
- discharge from one or both auricles appears.
But even if you yourself found, in your opinion, clear signs of otitis media, the final diagnosis should be made by the veterinarian on the basis of the study and the results of the tests. He will prescribe the necessary treatment.
Therapies begin with rinsing the ears with 70 percent alcohol. The treatment of the disease depends on the location of the inflammation. The cat is trimmed with wool inside the auricle, the ear canal is treated with an alcohol solution (a solution of boric acid, iodine, hydrogen peroxide). "Prednisolone" is applied to the dried surface. Then the veterinarian usually prescribes antibiotics as well as antihistamines. If necessary, novocaine blockade with an antibiotic is carried out, fungicidal agents are used.
Yeast
When a cat scratches its ear, this serious disease cannot be ruled out, which is dangerous because a pathogenic environment is formed around the localization of the lesion, which is favorable for infection with other infections. May cause hearing loss in the animal. It is quite difficult to diagnose by yourself, but it is possible that very dark sulfur with an unpleasant odor accumulates inside the sink.
Once a day, the sink is thoroughly cleaned with hydrogen peroxide until there is a white cotton swab. During treatment, the antibiotic “Cabactan” is used (intramuscularly) once a day for seven days. The immunomodulator "Maxidin" is administered subcutaneously or intramuscularly twice a day for five days. In addition, Otoferonol Gold drops are used. For prevention, Otibiovin is recommended.
Dermatitis or eczema
Having diagnosed an animal with dermatitis or eczema, the veterinarian prescribes the following procedures:
- douching with soda solution, soapy water or hydrogen peroxide;
- dead tissue removal;
- treatment of affected areas with astringents ("Pyoctanin", picric acid, silver nitrate solution, "Albucid");
- the use of ointments from zinc oxide;
- restorative therapy.
In especially severe cases, surgical treatment may be required - opening the foci and removing the affected areas.
A few words in conclusion
If a cat scratches his ear, the cause is not always a serious illness. Quite often, the source of itching is commonplace - a large accumulation of sulfur. Sulfur mass, which has its own natural color, is easily eliminated with a cotton swab dipped in warm water at home.
But if you notice that she has changed color or texture, you should not hesitate. The veterinarian will make the correct diagnosis for the animal. And remember: the sooner you start treating your pet, the more likely it is that you will prevent possible complications.