Reasons Why Cat Scratches Ear
You will notice that your cat will begin to scratch at its ears to the point where the area will become red and quite tender. In severe cases, rashes and bruising could already develop because of too much scratching. Scratching is not the only indication, they could also shake their head rather than scratch, or rub their head area on surfaces to relieve the itch.
1. That’s the spot!
Cats would scratch non-stop at their ears especially if they feel an itch in that particular area. Sometimes the itch caused by something you can’t pinpoint. It can be perhaps triggered by something that touched your cat’s ear like a fluffy material that tickled its ear. A breath of air or a piece of string or feather touched your cat’s ears.
2. Watch out for allergies
There is a possibility that your cat is suffering from an allergic reaction. The allergic reaction can be triggered by a lot of factors, therefore it will be best to find out the possible triggers of your cat’s allergy. Food, materials of cat toys and cat trees, human products and such could trigger an allergic reaction.
The most common allergy that causes itching in a cat’s ears is skin allergy. If your cat is diagnosed with skin allergy, eliminate the trigger right away as it can cause harm to your cat. There is also available cat food for skin allergies available in the market that your cat can try to mitigate the effects.
3. Pests
Fleas, ticks and other parasites could be having a feast in your feline friend’s body. This could become a hellish situation for your cat as these parasites can become merciless and do not let any area of your cat’s body unattended. In severe cases, the situation can be described in as far as an infestation or even a parasitic invasion.
These will cause your cats to frantically scratch at their ears, or any area that becomes itchy in order to relieve the discomfort they may be feeling.
What you can do is to give your cats flea repellants and treatments, and other products that could mitigate the onset of the infestation, if not get rid of these parasites.
4. Dirty
Sometimes it could mean nothing serious, like there is a possibility that there is dirt that might have settled in their ears and they couldn’t bear it anymore. Dirt may have accumulated in their ears as it is one of the areas in their bodies that may become difficult for them to reach. The accumulated dirt might have been too much and too thick that they can already feel it, and is now trying to get rid of the dirt.
Sometimes, if it remained to be unchecked and unmonitored, it could progress into infections. A far worse scenario than that of the too much ear-scratching.
5.Poor hygiene
Sometimes our cat fails to properly groom themselves. While this could be another indication of a different ailment, poor cat hygiene can become the reason why does a cat keep scratching its ears.
Things to always put in mind!
1. Watch out for allergens and immediately remove them from your cat’s surroundings.
2. If parasites seem to be the problem, have your cat checked for an effective prescription to battle out these parasites.
3. Have the initiative! If you notice dirt accumulating in your cat’s ear and he or she starts scratching at it already, help your cat by getting the dirt out for them. It will definitely relieve them so much.
4. Do for your cats what it cannot do for itself. Sometimes, especially if a cat is the only cat in the house, they will not have any companion to groom each other with. Therefore, it will now be all up to you to help your cat in maintaining a good hygiene by keeping them clean or giving them a bath every now and then – as long as you see fit.