One of cat’s most vulnerable body parts is ear. The L shape of cat’s ears provides sharper hearing and sensitive sense. However, this shape also makes it prone to get disease such as signs of heart disease in cats. While light disease is treatable, if it has gone serious, it can damage your cat’s ears as well as driving them to self-mutilate cats. Cat can feel very uncomfortable especially if their ears get itchy.
You will need to know causes and remedies for itchy ears in cats to learn how to deal with it. What causes itchy ears in cats? Here are the causes of itchy ears in cats.
Causes of Itchy Ears in Cats
There are possible causes of itchy ears in cats as follow:
Cats with poor hygiene tend to be more prone to itchiness because dirty cats invite bacteria, fungus, and other dangerous microorganisms to invade cat’s ears. If it occurs, the cat will get itchy ear to the point they keep scratching it until the ears become disfigured. It is common to find them in stray cats, thus you can learn how to keep stray cats out of your house.
Mites love to live in a moisture and humid place like cat’s ears. As they tend to invest in commune, it will start to bother your cat and making it keep scratching it. Moreover, it tends to stay for a long time unless you get them out through shot. If you see white tiny creature inside your ears, it is likely your cat has mites infested in it.
Another cause of itchiness in cats is mange infestation. Mange infested themselves inside your cat’s ears and trigger itchiness. This creature is especially very irritating to the point it will keep your cat disturbed and lead them to chop off their ears through self-mutilation. There is also maggot as a result of infestation in which you will need to learn ways to remove maggots from kitten.
Foreign bodies enter your cat’s ears when your cat is playing around outside. Furthermore, when they keep pushing their ears over a material, some of them may get in to the ears. If the foreign bodies accumulate within ears, not only it makes your cat feels itchy, it can also disturb your cat’s hearing.
Cats with high glucose level can lead to diabetes. Research found diabetic cats tend to show some skin problems as a result of high glucose. The skin problems can start by some ref patches and rashes that are very itchy. It will need a special treatment from veterinarian to control the glucose level in cat. You will need to notice signs that your cat is sick and need attention as it tends to hide pain well.
Another infestation that is possible to be the cause of itchiness. What makes bacteria infestation dangerous is if they consist of hazardous bacteria that will spread disease. An open wound infected by bacteria will lead to infection. If infection spreads, it will physically damage the ears and even worse, spread throughout the body.
Allergy resulted from dust, pollen, or food can cause itchiness. When allergy occurs, the body reacts by rejecting strange materials and leading to allergy. Rashes, red blotches to burning skin will make your cat keep scratching their ears.
Just like knowing signs of claw disorder in cats, knowing the causes of itchy ears in cats, there are some remedies you can try to cure it.
Remedies for Itchy Ears in Cats
There are some remedies that you can use to help soothe the itchiness in cat’s ears:
A good remedy for itchy ears in cat is by using tea tree oil. Tea tree oil will help to soothe your cat’s ears. Furthermore, it comes from natural remedy that holds little risk. In order to use tea tree oil, gently apply tea tree oil on a cotton or cloth and then rub it softly to the outer part of your cat’s ears. Do it once a day until it gets better. Do not push it too hard especially if your cat shows sign of abrasion skin.
Another cure for itchy ears in cat is by using rosemary extract. Rosemary is known to contain nutrient enough to make skin regenerates. This extract is also less allergic since it has gentle nature. If you want to use rosemary extract, you can find it in nearest drug store. Dug cotton swab in the rosemary extract and apply it gently to your cat’s ears. Notice if your cat keeps scratching its ears or not to see the progress.
Ear mites are difficult to get rid as soon as possible since they tend to spread fast among other animals and make you have to check all of them. The easiest way to deal with ear mites in cats is by using ear drop pesticide. Ear drop pesticide is a special medicine to get rid of mites. It is generally friendly for your cat’s ears. To use ear drop, by cat ear drop in pet store, after that clean your cat’s ears with clean cloth and drop few drops of the medicine. Do not overuse it for it may have side effects that will affect your cat.
If you take your cat to veterinarian, they may suggest you with topical ointment. However, topical ointment is not recommended for bacteria infestation as applied ointment can further help the spreading of bacteria. This remedy is good to treat burning skin and rashes from allergy. As the name suggests, you can apply it by clean hand to the outer part of your cat’s ears to soothe the itchiness. It is best to apply tips for caring sick cat for beginners to avoid mistreatment.
Virgin olive oil also has gentle nutrients that will help to soothe itchiness and take care of your cat’s skin. Unlike the processed one, virgin olive oil is tremendously useful for treating cat’s ears. Put some virgin olive oil on a clean cloth and start dabbing the cloth to your cat’s ear. Make sure you do it gently as rough touches will only worsen the itchiness. Do it daily to ensure better result of your cat’s ears.
It is best to consult with veterinarian to decide the most efficient treatment for your cat’s ears after knowing the causes and remedies for itchy ears in cat.