Ears- Is it Dry skin?

My cat pumpkin - recently has been itching around his neck/ears for quite some time. We took him to the vet once and the vet thought he had fleas, so he treated him for that.......He never itches anywhere else but around his neck and mainly ears. Now pumpkin is stictly indoors and we have no other pet's besides him! I've noticed scabs and flakes on his ears, it's almost like he has dry skin?? He has been scratching at his ears. He had started to bleed from digging his ear with his claw? Any suggestions as to what the problem may be......any thought's or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

M. Chilson

Sounds like ear mites and the scabs/dry skin is result of so much itching.
Another trip to vet is in order.

I had a cat, Marina Mar, who had that same problem. Has Pumpkin lost the hair around and on his ears??

Marina Mar was diagnosed with Pemphagus Areolus. It's an immune problem that causes the body to kill any new skin cells. It took us a LONG time to figure out what it was. It was so advanced that it was also in her nail beds. The scabs on her ears were very painful. You might want to ask your vet about it.

Please keep us posted.

He really hasn't lost any hair around his ears...........the scabs seem to be less........he even has a few on the inside of his ear. The itching is also on and off.
I will mention that to the vet and see what his response is. What is the treatment for that?

Anyone else with any suggestions please give them!

M.Chilson

Marina Mar was on steroids which helped a little bit, but then she became immune to it. In a last ditch effort, they were going to try one last treatment which was equivalent to kitty chemotherapy. She would have to have blood drawn every week to check her liver functions and that's when I said enough. She had been poked, prodded, stuck, etc. I couldn't put her through anymore. My beautiful Marina Mar went to the RB.

I'm not saying that this is what your kitty has, but it's wise to ask your vet about it.

Your kitty will be in my thoughts and prayers. Please let us know what the vet says.

Do the inside of the ears look dirty? When cats have ear mites they scratch around there alot.

The inside of ears do not look dirty at all.

It seriously looks like he has dry skin on his ears. I have not noticed the scabs until recently. He doesn't seem to be bothered by the scabs.....only when he itches, which even that isn't that often.....I think he gets more annoyed with me trying to look at his ears.........

more comments greatly appreciated!

Also ask the vet about a yeast infection. They can make for a scratchy cat with no dirt. MooShoo, because he has no fur (Sphynx), gets yeast infections in his ears now and again. I have drops to put in his ears that help ease the itch and gets rid of the infection.

I hope your vet finds out what the problem is.

Thank you! I am calling tomorrow.......finally I have a day off that I can actually call the vet! I will keep everyone posted as to what the vet says.....the only thing I hate about having to take him to the vet is....the vet we like best in our area lives about 30-45 min. away. Pumpkin doesn't do so well traveling.......usually its a once a year visit for shots. He throws up, and does #2 in his car carrier......what a mess it always is. It's so embarassing because by the time we get there he looks so horrible.

I was also wondering about the feline lukemia vaccination - We always get rabies and distemper..........we had pumpkin tested for feline lukemia when we first got him and he didn't have it, but should we get the vaccination to prevent him from getting it, or is that not necessary.........he is an indoor, only cat in our home!

Thanks,
M. Chilson

I'm sorry to hear that Pumpkin has such itchy ears.:( The first thing that I thought of was ring worm. My Starr had this as a kitten and the first signs were white flakes on his ears. You may want to have him tested for this just to make sure. The vet can do a black light test and one form of ring worm will glow in the dark but a culture is the most accurate form of test. I wouldn't give him the feline leukemia shot since he's an indoor only cat and most vets will also tell you that indoor only cats don't really need this shot. I hope that everything goes well. Please keep us updated about him. Good luck.:)

KAK,

All my cats are indoor only. I get them vaccinated with distemper every 3 years and rabies every year, because it's the law in CT. Since yours are also indoor only, there's no reason for the FeLv.

I called the vet today and they were able to get him in right away! The good mom I am, I had a doctor's appointment about the same time they could get him in, so I was able to reschedule mine to get him in. The poor thing hates to ride in the car.........not even 5 min. after being in the car, he did #2, and then threw up! Anyways the vet just said it was a simple skin infection. Gave us some dermotology lotion to put on couple times a day for a week or two.......said that should clear it up. It cost me $50.00 to take him.......granted I don't care because it's helping him. I guess that is why I only have one cat......they can get very expensive. It was 25 just for the office call, 10 for the exam, and 15 dollars for the lotion he gave me! WOW!!!! He is definately worth it though!! I don't even pay that much for my own prescriptions!!
Thanks for all the support and suggestions!
M. Chilson