Like the title of the topic says, she won't stop scratching her ears. I can't figure out why she is doing this. I will try to make this as short as
possible but it is kind of a long story. I appreciate you taking the time to read this.
It all started in December 2007. We have been living in the same place for 18 months. She had been having the same cat food (Natural Choice Weight Management) and using the same litter sand (Tidy Cats Multiple Cats) for months. Nothing out of the ordinary (that I can remember). One day we noticed that she had been scratching the back of her ear (not the ear itself, just behind it) and the hair was getting thinner. After a few days the hair was all gone and there was a bald spot there about 4 square inches big. It was very bad timing as we had to leave town for two weeks so I put a cone on her. Somehow she got around the cone with her rear paws and continued to scratch the same place (badly designed cone) while we were gone.
When we came back her bald spot was bigger and now bloody too. We took her immediately to the vet. They said the itch was probably inside her ear and she was scratching the entire area causing the bald spot. They cleaned her ears and told me to give her Frontline for fleas... I know she has no fleas, she is an indoor cat and I examine her all the time (I'm pretty picky about cleanliness) anyway I did as I was told. They also tested her for ringworm, which came out negative. We got her a new cone and the bald spot healed and hair grew back as she couldn't reach that area anymore. The itch was still there though. She never stopped scratching the plastic cone - poor cat.
Anyway I decided to replace the litter with a new brand (Premium Choice) as it clumps better. We took the cone off and she started scratching again. We let her do it for a few days but she wouldn't stop. Now she was scratching the top of her ears (the outside not the inside). Her ears are both bald with scabs. We took her to the vet again and they prescribed new food (Prescription Diet) and steroids to reduce the itching. She wore the cone again and eventually the scratching reduced a lot, but never went away completely. Prescription food was over and a month later she started scratching again. Now her ears are bald and she scratches all the time.
One thing that I did notice about her behavior is that she likes to roll in the litter box. When she rolls, I see that litter sand gets in her ears too. She shakes it off but I believe that this could be causing her itch. Why does she like to roll in that stuff anyway?
Does anyone have any idea about why her ears scratch so much? Please enlighten me. We already spent $500 (vet bills, drugs, food, etc). We live in San Francisco, CA. Is there a feline allergies specialist in this area?
Cat details
It all started in December 2007. We have been living in the same place for 18 months. She had been having the same cat food (Natural Choice Weight Management) and using the same litter sand (Tidy Cats Multiple Cats) for months. Nothing out of the ordinary (that I can remember). One day we noticed that she had been scratching the back of her ear (not the ear itself, just behind it) and the hair was getting thinner. After a few days the hair was all gone and there was a bald spot there about 4 square inches big. It was very bad timing as we had to leave town for two weeks so I put a cone on her. Somehow she got around the cone with her rear paws and continued to scratch the same place (badly designed cone) while we were gone.
When we came back her bald spot was bigger and now bloody too. We took her immediately to the vet. They said the itch was probably inside her ear and she was scratching the entire area causing the bald spot. They cleaned her ears and told me to give her Frontline for fleas... I know she has no fleas, she is an indoor cat and I examine her all the time (I'm pretty picky about cleanliness) anyway I did as I was told. They also tested her for ringworm, which came out negative. We got her a new cone and the bald spot healed and hair grew back as she couldn't reach that area anymore. The itch was still there though. She never stopped scratching the plastic cone - poor cat.
Anyway I decided to replace the litter with a new brand (Premium Choice) as it clumps better. We took the cone off and she started scratching again. We let her do it for a few days but she wouldn't stop. Now she was scratching the top of her ears (the outside not the inside). Her ears are both bald with scabs. We took her to the vet again and they prescribed new food (Prescription Diet) and steroids to reduce the itching. She wore the cone again and eventually the scratching reduced a lot, but never went away completely. Prescription food was over and a month later she started scratching again. Now her ears are bald and she scratches all the time.
One thing that I did notice about her behavior is that she likes to roll in the litter box. When she rolls, I see that litter sand gets in her ears too. She shakes it off but I believe that this could be causing her itch. Why does she like to roll in that stuff anyway?
Does anyone have any idea about why her ears scratch so much? Please enlighten me. We already spent $500 (vet bills, drugs, food, etc). We live in San Francisco, CA. Is there a feline allergies specialist in this area?
Cat details
- Age: 6
- Breed: Orange tabby
- Weight: 14 lb
- Habitat: Full time indoor
- Offspring history: 2 litters
- Any previous medical issues: None
- Temperament: Extremely friendly
You know your cat the best and it sounds like a allergy, it would not hurt to keep changing
litter types,I would try paper,not much to cause problems with that type and she may just not want to roll in it.
