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.
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
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.