Itching in the ear. Is it possible to scratch your ear with a cotton swab?

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Almost every owner who has cats has encountered a problem - the animal begins to vigorously scratch its ears, sometimes even to the point of bleeding. The most common reasons why a cat's ears itch are given in this article.

Ear scratching is a red flag that may indicate that your pet is sick. To avoid such problems, you need to regularly examine the animal to assess its health. Failure to promptly treat ear diseases and infections can cause your cat to develop serious hearing problems for life, including complete deafness.

Causes of the disease

Sometimes pet owners notice that the cat shakes its ear and scratches it very zealously. At the same time, it is clear even to a layman that she is very worried about this area. It is very dangerous to ignore such symptoms, since your pet can scratch the inner surface of the ear very strongly (to the point of bleeding). The result is non-healing inflammation, which often leads to blood poisoning.

The main factors that provoke ear itching:

ear mites (otodectosis);
hematoma after injury;
fungus;
abscess;
otitis;
eczema and dermatitis;
foreign body;
accumulation of sulfur;
allergy.

Let's take a closer look at the most common reasons to understand why a cat scratches its ears and how to treat an animal for various diseases.

But you must adhere to these rules:

You need to wash your ears with plain water while taking a shower, rotating them in different directions and pulling them down and forward, while the earwax from the ear canal will move and come out.
Hygiene of the ear canal - with the index finger of the hand, press on the walls of the ear canal from side to side and remove wax and dust, and then wipe dry with a towel.

“So why does the secretion of the sulfur glands cause itching sensations in the ear?”, you ask. After all, each of us has it! The reason here is daily ear hygiene with a cotton swab!!! Be aware that when you clean the ear canal from wax with such a stick, the skin of the ear canal loses its protection, is injured, and sulfur will certainly get into the microcracks, which will cause itching.

But the secretion of the sulfur glands performs important tasks: lubricates the skin of the external auditory canal, maintains its elasticity, cleanses, and also prevents bacteria, fungi, and small insects from entering the ear.

Improper ear hygiene is one of the most common causes of itching in the ear canal.

Ear mite

The most common disease that occurs most often in young cats and small kittens is ear scabies. Cleaning the ears will help detect this disease. If during this procedure you find a brown mass that also moves weakly, it means that the cat is tormented by ear mites (this mass is an accumulation of microscopic organisms). They cause severe itching in your pet.

In some cases, as a result of scratching, 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.

Hematoma of the auricle

A hematoma is an accumulation of blood under the skin of the ear at the site of a bruise, cut or bite.

Symptoms:

the cat's ear swells;
the damaged ear is hot to the touch, hard and sometimes hangs close to the head;
a red or bluish swelling is visible on the inside of the ear;
in chronic cases, curvature of the auricle develops;
in severe cases, tissue necrosis or an abscess forms at the site of the hematoma.

Treatment of hematoma

If you find an ear hematoma in your cat, immediately apply a cold compress and a tight bandage to the injury site for a day. Don't delay visiting the veterinarian. The doctor should examine the sore ear and prescribe appropriate treatment.

Treatment

First of all, the mite mass, which usually collects 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 treated from the inside with drugs such as Amitraz, Hexachloran, Tsipam, Amitrazine. The procedure is carried out five times every three days.

At the same time, apply ear mite drops (for cats) “Aurican” every day for seven days. Treatment is continued for a month, but the ears are instilled twice a week. The fur around the affected ear is moistened with Neostomazan solution. For preventive purposes, Stronghold, Bars, and Frontline are used. During the treatment period, the animal is isolated from contact with other pets.

Today there are many drugs for the treatment of this disease, so a veterinarian or a pet pharmacy worker will help you choose the appropriate ear mite drops for cats. In addition, the clinic may 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 ear (including healthy ones).

Ear abscess

An abscess on a cat's ear appears as a result of trauma, injury, cut or scratch. Externally, an abscess looks like a hematoma, with only one difference - the abscess is filled with pus, not blood.

Symptoms:

inflamed area of inflammation that is hot and soft to the touch;
discharge and unpleasant odor from the ear;
there may be a scab or puncture wound in the area of the tumor;
Your cat may show symptoms of a fever, including lethargy and lack of appetite.

Treatment of ear abscess

If you notice an abscess in your cat's ear, contact your veterinarian immediately. At the first stage of the disease, he will prescribe a penicillin-novocaine blockade in combination with warm compresses from sulfonamide drugs.

At the second stage of the abscess, the veterinarian will open the inflammation and remove the pus. Then he will treat the wound with antiseptic drugs and prescribe a course of penicillin or cephalosporin antibiotics.

Otitis

Quite often, pet owners turn to veterinarians complaining that their cat is constantly scratching its ears. What to do in this case? A common cause of itchy ears in cats is otitis media, an inflammation of the ear. This disease is caused by the following reasons:

foreign body;
hypothermia.

This disease is manifested by the following symptoms that are difficult to miss:

the cat scratches its ear;
shakes his head;
discharge appears from one or both ears.

But even if you independently discover, in your opinion, obvious signs of otitis, the final diagnosis should be made by a veterinarian based on research and test results. He will prescribe the necessary treatment.

Treatment procedures begin with rinsing the ears with 70 percent medical alcohol. Treatment of the disease depends on the location of the inflammation. The cat's hair inside the ear is cut off and the ear canal is treated with an alcohol solution (boric acid solution, iodine, hydrogen peroxide). Prednisolone is applied to the dried surface. The veterinarian will then usually prescribe antibiotics as well as antihistamines. If necessary, a novocaine blockade with an antibiotic is carried out, and fungicidal agents are used.

Why does a cat scratch its ears?

It is normal for pets to scratch their ears. So they independently clean them of foreign particles and dirt. An animal can perform this necessary hygienic procedure several times a day; there is nothing unnatural about this. But there are some signs that should alert the owner:

The cat scratches its ears continuously and at the same time strongly shakes its head in one direction or the other, as if trying to free itself from some object.
The cat becomes restless, irritable, and sometimes aggressive.
When scratching its ears, the animal can make various sounds, hiss, purr, and meow.
Scratches, wounds, and sores appear behind the ears and in the shells, causing painful discomfort to the cat.

Why do my cat's ears itch? The causes of this phenomenon are usually divided into two groups - everyday and pathological.

Household infections can be diagnosed by owners, go away on their own after some time and do not require drug treatment. These include:

Getting water into your ears after swimming.
Foreign body.
Minor hematoma resulting from trauma.
A large amount of sulfur accumulated in shells due to insufficient care, which the cat is not able to remove without outside help.

It may well be that the cat simply rested his ear and is scratching it because of this, so before you run to the veterinary clinic, you should observe the pet’s behavior.

Pathological causes pose a serious danger to the health of the cat, these include:

otitis;
fleas;
allergy;
neoplasms in the ears, including malignant ones;
fungal infections;
dermatitis, eczema;
ear mites (otodectosis);
abscess.

These diseases require immediate treatment; the veterinarian will tell you what to do in such cases.

Ear scabies

Otodectosis (ear scabies) is the most common contagious disease of pets. It is caused by skin-eating mites, the size of which does not exceed 0.7 mm, so it is not possible to detect them without a magnifying glass. Blood-sucking parasites settle in the auricle inside and outside and affect the ear canal and eardrum. Ticks begin to suck the kitten's blood, thereby causing itching, discomfort and irritation.

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The cat scratches its ears until it bleeds, shakes its head uncontrollably and meows pitifully. Subsequently, the ears become covered with scabs, and pus is released from the shells. If treatment is not started in time, otodectosis leads to complications in the form of otitis media, meningitis, and death is possible.

To disinfect and eliminate itching, you can instill a 2% solution of hydrogen peroxide into your ears or smear them with regular vegetable oil. After instillation, the ears should be wiped with a cotton swab.

To treat the ears, anti-scabies drops Bars are used, which are instilled into both ears. Amit, Tactic, Otodeknin can also be used. If otodectosis has caused otitis, then tetracycline antibiotics are indicated.

Notoedrosis

Why does a cat scratch his ears and ears? The reason for this may be notoedrosis, a disease caused by the sarcopid mite (Notoedres cati), which affects not only the ears, but also the nose and areas above the eyes. The disease is dangerous because it causes disorders of the nervous, cardiovascular, and reticuloendothelial systems of the body.

First, the tick infects the muzzle and head, then the rest of the body. The cat scratches one or both ears and experiences severe itching. The skin becomes dry, rough, crusts appear on it, crack and bleed.

If the disease is at an initial stage, then tar, green soap, and sedimentary sulfur are used to eliminate the pathogen. Crusts are removed with warm soapy water. At the severe stage, more powerful agents are used - benzyl benzoate suspension and hyposulfite solution. If a cat has ulcers, antibiotics, painkillers and restorative drugs are indicated.

Otitis

With inflammation of the middle ear, the cat constantly scratches its ears until it bleeds, begins to tear the skin, shakes its head, and serous fluid and pus are released from the shells. There are three types of otitis media:

tick-borne
bacterial,
mixed.

Tick-borne otitis media is nothing more than a complication of otodectosis. The treatment is complex, using the drugs Decor, Tsipam, Anandin.

Bacterial otitis media appears when secondary microflora develops in the ears. It is caused by yeast fungi or Malassezia, which occurs due to allergies and weakened immunity. Shampoos Nizoral, Sebazol, as well as drugs Clotrimazole, Aurizol, Otibiovin, Otonazole, Mistiet are used for treatment. In advanced cases, novocaine blockades with an antibiotic are placed (in the presence of severe pain). If allergies are present, antihistamines are indicated.

For mixed otitis, Oridermil, Oritsin, Aurikan, and Bars drops are prescribed. It is important that the medications do not contain hormonal substances.

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Pus is removed from the ears using hydrogen peroxide. Regardless of the etiology of otitis, it is very important to take care of increasing the pet’s immunity.

Fleas

Even if a cat does not go outside, he is not immune from such a scourge as fleas. The symptoms are the same as for the diseases described above: the cat scratches its ears and shells until it bleeds.

As a rule, the veterinarian prescribes the use of antiparasitic drugs (they can also be used as prophylaxis) Stronghold, Bars, Frontline, which are dripped onto the withers. You can use a shampoo of the appropriate spectrum.

Dead parasites are removed from the fur using a cotton swab soaked in hydrogen peroxide or a comb.

During treatment, the animal is isolated, contact with other pets is excluded. The rehabilitation period must be completed completely.

Hematoma

As a rule, small swellings that cause the cat to scratch and scratch their ears until they bleed will resolve on their own within 2 weeks. As first aid, you can use cold compresses and tight bandages. More complex cases require qualified veterinary care. They puncture the hematoma and suck out the blood contents.

Next, a solution of novocaine with hydrocortisone, an antibiotic, is administered. Intramuscular injections of Vikasol are indicated. After the hematoma has resolved, UHF procedures are prescribed.

Yeast fungus

When a cat scratches its ear, it cannot be ruled out that this is a serious disease, which is dangerous because a pathogenic environment is formed around the location of the lesion, favorable for infection with other infections. May cause hearing loss in the animal. It is quite difficult to diagnose on your own, but it is possible that very dark sulfur is accumulating inside the sink, which has an unpleasant odor.

Once a day, the sink is thoroughly cleaned with hydrogen peroxide until the cotton swab is white. During treatment, the antibiotic “Kabaktan” is used (intramuscularly) once a day for seven days. The immunomodulator "Maksidin" 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;
removal of dead tissue;
treatment of affected areas with astringents (“Pyoctanin”, picric acid, silver nitrate solution, “Albucid”);
use of zinc oxide ointment;
restorative therapy.

In especially severe cases, surgical treatment may be required - opening the lesions and removing the affected areas.