4 cats with ear infections and allergies

It must be something about Florida!

My one cat Pounce has been battling allergies his entire life. He is the only one doing well at the moment! He gets antihistamines and allergy shots. One ear is infected but rather mild. After years of struggle i finally got his face cleared up!!!

My other cat has asthma or ibd or both. She is on steroids.

Genie has never had allergies until this year. For some reason she ate all the hair off her belly and part of her tail. both ears are badly infected. She hates being inside but until she heals up I've locked her in. She is rather feral when outside and can be difficult to catch. I rarely see her and didn't realize what condition she was in.

I don't know what she got into. Im thinking red bugs as they last about 3 weeks when i get them. She has small itchy sores that are almost healed. Could she have caught mange? She is on Revolution for flea control, which should prevent some mites as well. Right now she is isolated. But im not sure how she could have mange if no one else does?

Last is Tru who has esinophillic granuloma and ear infections. I'm reasonably certain these are all just ear infections rather than mites as both pounce and Tru tested positive for infections previously and the vet said it wasn't mites. Pounce is the one who goes in 3x yearly for his severe allergies.

What is it they are getting into? It can't be fleas. Everyone is on Revolution and the dogs are on comfortis. I haven't seen any fleas.

I will say temperatures are ten degrees higher than normal and we've gotten more rain than usual. The house is kept around 80 degrees. Reaction to the heat?

Tru and genie are usually indoor/outdoor cats. Pounce and izzy are indoor only. The other two cats (Cas and Taz) are healthy.

My household is split by gender. As the boys pick on the girls, they do better separated. I wish I knew what triggered this. They have been on the same food and I haven't changed anything.

Florida is not a friendly place for animals with allergies, trust me on that. With all the pollen and weeds and such, plus all the bugs especially fleas. Skin allergies and ear infections go hand in hand, it's not unusual to have skin allergies and ear infections. Sounds to me if she gets better inside then it may be allergies. Also, the more it rains the more the plants/weeds grow and flowers blood. It's the season! I also live in Florida, and see so many pets with allergies who have never had a problem before moving here.

mange usually causes hair loss around the face/ ears/eyelids especially, as well as sometimes scabby bumps. There are different types of mange, and can only be diagnosed with a skin scrape at your vets office, since it's a microscopic mite. Cats have mites naturally on them, but can become overpopulated when a cat becomes stressed/immunocompromised/ in contact with another infected cat. I'm not so familiar with revolution, so I can't tell you for sure if it will prevent it- it would probably depend on the mite.

Also if your kitty is allergic to fleas, even if you don't see any, if the cat goes outside all it takes is one bite. They may not be living on your cat but that doesn't mean a flea can't jump and bite before dying. It's the saliva they're allergic to.

I would have your kitty checked out, if she has lesions she may have a skin infection now and need medication- as well as antibiotics and mess to help reduce the inflammation.

Also you can have your cat allergy tested, it's a bit expensive but if it's bad enough there are companies that can make immunonizations agains some of those allergies your cat tested positive for (not sure if this is what you meant by "allergy shots"?)

Also fish oil seems to help animals with allergies.

Ear infections that involve the upper (visible) canal and middle canal occur when moisture is trapped within the ear, promoting yeast growth. Once yeast compromises the skin tissue within the ear, bacteria that normally live on the skin's surface can infect layers of skin, after the skin barrier has been compromised.

Malasezzia normally lives on the surface of the skin, but moisture helps it travel down into the ear, wicking along hair shafts. Cleansing the ears during humid and rainy seasons helps limit moisture trapped in the ear, specifically cleansers with drying agents, such as Virbac Epi-Otic Advanced, both cleanser and drying agent, or ADL Foaming Ear Cleanser and Ear Flushing Drying Lotion combo. Cleansing every 3 days during an active infection can remove the debris and moisture that yeast and bacteria thrive on. For maintenance, cleansing once weekly, after the infections are cleared, helps prevent infections.

Cats with ear infections should never be on any topical otic medication that contains gentamycin; some clinics overlook this, as gentamycin is a common ingredient in combination with an antifungal and anti-inflammatory in ear meds. Cats' inner ear is very sensitive to this antibiotic, and gentamicin can cause the ear drum to rupture and scar, making them deaf. I have seen it many times in cats referred to my internal medicinist/specialist.

Tresaderm is a safe, effective otic medication for cats, used two to three times daily.

Here in NC, we have pets that are suddenly prone to ear and skin infections, that were never affected past seasons, unknown why they now can't stay as dry or are more prone to moist skin and ear canals. If identified as atopy, or as ECG such as your Tru, Atopica (cyclosporin) is started daily so then antibiotics and steroids for skin infections aren't needed so often throughout the year. Atopica seems expensive at first, but less costly than multiple exams, Rx's, and miserable kitties throughout the season thanks to repeated infections. Many regular vets start it without serum allergy testing first, and if it's effective then it's diagnostic that the pet did suffer from skin allergy. Liver values are monitored on pets taking Atopica, but like corticosteroids, dogs are more sensitive to liver side effects than cats on these meds.

Diet is a component that can trigger EGC, so investigating novel protein/carb diet for Tru could be beneficial to limiting her lesions and flare ups. Genie barbering, aka hair pulling, is primarily linked to stress, and over-grooming helps release endorphins to alleviate the stress. A calming collar may be advantageous for her. Some folks suture/sew it to their regular collar so they can't break it off as easily. If the pheremone collar isn't an option either b/c she gets it off or the pheremones aren't effective, then axiolytic prescriptions are discussed with your vet, to modify her behavioral response to stress catalysts. Many start with amitryptiline, then try fluoxetine if ineffective. Royal Canin Rx diet, Calm, may help her too. The customized milk proteins in it have a calming effect, and it has added skin health ingredients, as well as RC's S/O index, as most pets stressing have skin and urinary problems.

Good Luck getting all those ears clean and healthy!