Sore on Nico's ear

My poor cat has just developed a sore on his right ear. It seems to have just appeared overnight and is due to aggressive scratching.

I don't think it's due to fleas as I have checked both my cats (and carpeting) and cannot find any sign of fleas (I even tried the white paper test). It is always a possibility that it is fleas though, since with the arrival of cooler weather we didn't administer their latest dose of Revolution.

I guess it could also be ear mites, but there is no tell-tale black specks in his ears. I do check his ears fairly often because I have to clean them on a regular basis since he has a tendency to get ear wax.

The sore seems to have coincided with a new wet food I introduced, Chicken Soup for the Cat Lover's Soul. He may be allergic to an ingredient in that food, or it could also just be coincidence.

This isn't the first time he has made himself bleed. When we first adopted him he would groom his hind legs to the point where they were bare and raw. The vet did a few initial tests and couldn't determine what was causing him to scratch. Before we had time to bring him back for more extensive testing, he stopped. We chalked it up to the stress of moving into a new environment (he was a very skittish and shy cat - still is with strangers, but has turned into a love bug with us ). The second time a bleeding episode happened was when we accidentally put his Revolution too low on his neck. The next day we woke up to find that he had a penny size bleeding bald spot where it was applied. However, after that one night he didn't touch it and it healed within a few days.

So now I'm wondering whether I should bring him to the vet or wait and see. Now, before everyone starts screaming at me that I should bring him in right away, I should mention that putting him in his carrier is an extremely traumatic event for him. I have to get my fiancee to do it since seeing him so scared and traumatized makes me cry and makes the situation even worse.

As it turns out, my other cat has her yearly checkup with the vet on Friday, so if the sore is still as raw and irritated I will bring him in at the same time. However, if there is something that I can do at home to treat and prevent it from getting worse I would prefer to do that than having to put him through the ordeal of going to the vet.

Any advice and suggestions are much appreciated.

what food prior to chicken soup?

For dry I've been feeding him EVO and Taste of the Wild.

For wet, I feed him a variety a stuff:

-Almo Nature (fish and chicken varieties)
-Eagle Pack Holistic Lamb and Chicken
-Snappy Tom
-Before Grain (chicken, turkey, quail)
-EVO 95% Chicken and Turkey
-Authority

A few of those wet's are only for supplemental feeding but since my cat's don't seem very interested in wet food it makes up less than 10% of their food intake.

Ouch! That's does look rather painful. As for what you could put on it for now - plain neosporin without pain reliever could help a little.

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Ouch! That's does look rather painful. As for what you could put on it for now - plain neosporin without pain reliever could help a little.

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It is likely a very big allergy .. could be food or fleas or something weird like carpet or cleaner

Yep. I suggest the OP make a list. Start with the biggest known allergies and work backwards. Make a note by each possibility. Breaking it down might make it easier to handle.

Top of my list would be fleas - non allergic cats scratch like crazy from them. Allergic ones rip out or loose fur. (I'm mildly allergic to fleas, too, so of course they're at the top of the list )

So I made the appt and the vet will see him tomorrow. His sore is still red but it doesn't look any worse today, so that's a positive sign that he hasn't been scratching at it.

What kind of questions should I be asking the vet?

Originally Posted by sharky

It is likely a very big allergy .. could be food or fleas or something weird like carpet or cleaner

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I'm kind of suspecting allergy as well, but don't even know how to begin eliminating things. The vet will be seeing both cats, so will she be able to tell if they have fleas (possibly making a flea allergy the suspect)? I've checked both of them over, their beds, the carpeting, etc. and can't find any sign of fleas. Then again, it's possible I'm not looking properly. I wish the problem could be as simple as a flea allergy.

If it's not fleas, I will make a list like strange_wings suggested, but am feeling overwhelmed at all the possibilities. Other than the new food, I haven't changed anything within the last few weeks, but it could be an inherent problem that has just started manifesting itself. Is there a test the vet can do that can pinpoint an allergy, like the one us humans can take? If it is an allergy, why would it only manifest itself in the one area, and not all over?

I just thought of something. Last week I washed my floors with bleach instead of my normal vinegar mixture. I made sure my cats were nowhere near at the time but is it possible that he is reacting to some kind of residue still on my floors?

Argh! I feel terrible for my cat and am frustrated with myself for 1. letting something like this happen and 2. not doing anything about it sooner (OK, it's only been two days but maybe I could have brought him to the vet sooner and he would be all better by now - at the same time, as he's sitting on my lap all cuddly right now I'm dreading having to put him through the misery of getting him in a carrier tomorrow)

Originally Posted by coda_m

at the same time, as he's sitting on my lap all cuddly right now I'm dreading having to put him through the misery of getting him in a carrier tomorrow)

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On a side note, he is trained to wear a harness and leash. I'll have to call the vet and verify if they will accept us possibly bringing him in this way, but does anyone have any experience bringing a cat to the vet on a harness?

I kind of hesitating at the idea since many things could go wrong that way, but would appreciate input.

Sorry but anything is possible ... what was the % of bleach to water? ...

What food to what food?

When at the vet we opted for a complete blood panel to rule out any underlying issues. The results came back and he's healthy and his results are all normal. The vet believes that it may be a food allergy and we now have to start an elimination diet. She suggested we start by cutting chicken out. Considering his current foods (dry - TOTW and EVO and wet - mostly fish and chicken flavors) almost all have chicken and that both my kitties are super picky, this is going to be a hard journey.

Does anyone have any suggestions what foods I should try feeding that don't contain chicken. I'm leaning toward Orijen six-fish for dry and a lot of fish foods for wet. I'm not crazy about feeding so much fish but they don't like beef, venison, and are only lukewarm about duck, lamb, and rabbit. PLEASE, I need suggestions and advice.