Balding ears, occasional wound/scabs.

[Babypinkweeb]

My indoor cat Nugget has gradually grown bald spots on his ears. Both of my cats have all their shots up to date, on revolution, and rarely itch themselves.

The right ear had a scab a week or 2 ago which came off and bled a bit but I stopped the bleeding and it scabbed once more. That scab seem to have healed as it's no longer there.

The left year is now showing what looks like small wounds and balding.

The ears don't feel hot nor rougher than normal. Both cats behaviors are unchanged and my other cat does not have this issue. I have contacted my vet but would like some ideas here as well. Thanks!

 

[FeebysOwner]

Those spots do look like she has been scratching at her ears - so try to pay additional attention and see if you can tell if she is scratching there more.

Cats, at any age, can develop allergies to foods they have been eating or even elements in the environment. However, if you have made any changes to what she eats, or there have been new things introduced into her environment (pollen, dust, different cleaning products, new litter, carpet cleaning, as just a few examples), she might be having a bit of an allergic reaction.

You will have to play investigator to see if you can narrow down the possibilities.

 

[Babypinkweeb]

Those spots do look like she has been scratching at her ears - so try to pay additional attention and see if you can tell if she is scratching there more.

Cats, at any age, can develop allergies to foods they have been eating or even elements in the environment. However, if you have made any changes to what she eats, or there have been new things introduced into her environment (pollen, dust, different cleaning products, new litter, carpet cleaning, as just a few examples), she might be having a bit of an allergic reaction.

You will have to play investigator to see if you can narrow down the possibilities.

Thanks for the thorough answer!

I totally don't doubt you, but I work from home and he's in the same room as me all day and he scratches his ear maybe once a day or every 2 days. My spouse has opposite sleep schedule from me and they have also not noticed any excessive scratching, unfortunately... He had ear mites when I originally adopted him so I've seen him scratch a lot before.

Do you think it's possible it's from rough play? I can try to test things out in terms of food allergies. He's been eating the same food for a long time but it's a combo of 3 food items. I'll remove one at a time to see if he improves. How long would you suggest I wait to see results?

 

[FeebysOwner]

I suppose it could be from rough play, but why one ear and then the other - and what, if anything, has changed about the cats' play patterns that might explain it? If it is once again ear mites, you will soon know as your other cat is more than likely going to get them too!

I would go through potential environmental allergens first - probably easier to at least rule them out or find one or two that could be the culprit(s). Assuming it is spring where you are located, it would seem pollen could be your source, but that would only be ruled out once the pollen counts go down.

If no environmental conditions identify anything then the food trial begins. The problem with food trials is you never know exactly what ingredients could be causing the issue. So, compare the 3 foods he is on, just so you know where the ingredients overlap. I presume food change results can vary cat to cat, but I have always heard it takes several weeks to be sure whether or not a specific food you've taken away might have been the allergen source.

 

[Babypinkweeb]

I suppose it could be from rough play, but why one ear and then the other - and what, if anything, has changed about the cats' play patterns that might explain it? If it is once again ear mites, you will soon know as your other cat is more than likely going to get them too!

I would go through potential environmental allergens first - probably easier to at least rule them out or find one or two that could be the culprit(s). Assuming it is spring where you are located, it would seem pollen could be your source, but that would only be ruled out once the pollen counts go down.

If no environmental conditions identify anything then the food trial begins. The problem with food trials is you never know exactly what ingredients could be causing the issue. So, compare the 3 foods he is on, just so you know where the ingredients overlap. I presume food change results can vary cat to cat, but I have always heard it takes several weeks to be sure whether or not a specific food you've taken away might have been the allergen source.

I only guessed rough play since i've seen my other cat go for a fake-out nip at his ear. They play weird. Nugget would scream when he is pinned down but he would always come back for more or initiate play by taunting my other cat.

I checked my other cat's ear and it doesn't seem like he has any changes on his ears yet, fingers crossed!

It's technically spring I guess, but it's very cold here in chicago! Around high of 30-40. I'll start a food trial first by removing the "messiest" which is a fancy feast pate. His other 2 are Rawz pate and some freeze dried stella and chewy.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

... and he scratches his ear maybe once a day or every 2 days. My spouse has opposite sleep schedule from me and they have also not noticed any excessive scratching, unfortunately... He had ear mites when I originally adopted him so I've seen him scratch a lot before.
...

I would first suspect mites, I think, with the way his ears look.

How long ago did you adopt him? Was he given meds for the ear mites, and did you have testing done post-medication to make sure the mites had disappeared?

There are many kinds mites, and even several for which the use of Revolution does not kill them. Also, some cats can be (or appear to be) asymptomatic to certain mites, so if one cat is showing symptoms but the other(s) do not, that still does not rule out mites.

Have you had a vet do any skin scrapings or cytologies of his ears? My cat was having issues with hair loss and itching a few years ago, but it wasn't discovered by her regular vets, even with several vet visits and much testing. We finally had to go to a veterinary dermatologist, and she was "lucky" enough to catch some of the small buggers during skin scrapings, on the hair follicles, and a few swabs taken from inside of her ear.

 

[Babypinkweeb]

I would first suspect mites, I think, with the way his ears look.

How long ago did you adopt him? Was he given meds for the ear mites, and did you have testing done post-medication to make sure the mites had disappeared?

There are many kinds mites, and even several for which the use of Revolution does not kill them. Also, some cats can be (or appear to be) asymptomatic to certain mites, so if one cat is showing symptoms but the other(s) do not, that still does not rule out mites.

Have you had a vet do any skin scrapings or cytologies of his ears? My cat was having issues with hair loss and itching a few years ago, but it wasn't discovered by her regular vets, even with several vet visits and much testing. We finally had to go to a veterinary dermatologist, and she was "lucky" enough to catch some of the small buggers during skin scrapings, on the hair follicles, and a few swabs taken from inside of her ear.

I called my vet and scheduled an appointment, will keep an eye on him until then though. I don't think I've seen him scratch at his ear for the last 2 days... Both my cats don't seem to pay much attention to their ears since I noticed the balding spots on one.

My vet is usually pretty good so I hope they can catch it during tests. Soon after I adopted him he started showing signs of giardia and my main vet didn't find it but a 2nd vet did. But it's very hard in my area to get an appointment with another vet due to overbooked thanks to covid.

I adopted him a year ago in april 2021, he received ear drops and was confirmed by vet visit that his mites have cleared.

 

[Babypinkweeb]

Update:

After the vet appointment, they said it could be allergies, ringworm, early stage of some infection, pretty much anything. They swabbed his ear but there was little to no bacteria. They send me home with a foam thing that's suppose to help heal the skin, and told me to come back in 2 weeks to see how it develops (and if they need to do ringworm test).

I've been giving him the foam once a day as instructed on the outside of his ears. His right ear has not gotten worse while the left ear looks worse probably due to him itching it and making it bleed. Both ears in the last 2 days started showing some flaking. There is some redness but it seems to only appear a while after I use the foam. The ears look only slightly pinkish during the day before I use the foam.

I don't think I see any ringworm circles, but I could be wrong. I've included pictures. He does itch them sometimes but not as much as he used to with ear mites (which vet said it didn't look like he had any, super clean ears). All other behaviors are normal.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Update:

After the vet appointment, they said it could be allergies, ringworm, early stage of some infection, pretty much anything. They swabbed his ear but there was little to no bacteria. They send me home with a foam thing that's suppose to help heal the skin, and told me to come back in 2 weeks to see how it develops (and if they need to do ringworm test).

I've been giving him the foam once a day as instructed on the outside of his ears. His right ear has not gotten worse while the left ear looks worse probably due to him itching it and making it bleed. Both ears in the last 2 days started showing some flaking. There is some redness but it seems to only appear a while after I use the foam. The ears look only slightly pinkish during the day before I use the foam.

I don't think I see any ringworm circles, but I could be wrong. I've included pictures. He does itch them sometimes but not as much as he used to with ear mites (which vet said it didn't look like he had any, super clean ears). All other behaviors are normal.

Thanks for the update! How is he doing now?

I remember that when my cat Milly was having problems, in the early days of us trying to figure out her issue my husband and I were given Douxo chlorhexidine/ climbazole mousse for Milly, for possible infection control. It made her itchy and caused a bit more inflammation. We were told to discontinue use if that happened, and to contact them. You might want to check with your vet, if your cat is having a reaction to a med that they have given you. Maybe there are alternatives that could help more.

 

[Babypinkweeb]

Thanks for the update! How is he doing now?

I remember that when my cat Milly was having problems, in the early days of us trying to figure out her issue my husband and I were given Douxo chlorhexidine/ climbazole mousse for Milly, for possible infection control. It made her itchy and caused a bit more inflammation. We were told to discontinue use if that happened, and to contact them. You might want to check with your vet, if your cat is having a reaction to a med that they have given you. Maybe there are alternatives that could help more.

He is doing fine. He is a very affectionate cat but can be quite timid/skittish. He started to hide during the daytime to avoid the mousse, but did approach me later when I was lounging for petting. He's a big baby so hiding isn't a sure sign that he's not feeling well, as he will hide just hearing the lawn mowers outside.

His ears hasn't had much change, I believe both are normal flesh/pinkish color, not red. I finally blocked off the sofa which he likes to hide under so now he's mad at me in the cat tower. I left him be for now so as to not upset him more, so couldn't take a picture of his ears.

I haven't given him the mousse today yet but now that you brought up inflammation from the medicine, it makes me think twice about giving it to him. The mousse I have is Douxo S3 PYO. I will call my vet tomorrow and bring up the reaction, because my partner and I both agree it seems like his ears are more red everyday after the mousse treatment.

 

[Babypinkweeb]

Just came back from the recheck appointment.

After I stopped the mousse it seemed like more hair was coming back but in the last few days it seem to have gotten worse. The hair on his ears have scab/flakes along the base and at the appointment, it was removed by the vet easily.

She took the hair and scab samples for ringworm test, but mentions she doesn't see other signs of ringworm yet. She also prescribed me MalAcetic Otic Ultra Cleanser to use on his ears instead of the mousse. She named other possible causes but said for now let's do one change at a time.

his ears are almost completely bald now, but no more scratch wounds/scabs. I still don't see him fuss his ears, and his other behaviors are normal. Vet mentioned that after the current tests I could do a food trial which is fine as he is already on Rawz single protein pate.