My cat with ear mites & hematoma is scratching. Should I go to the ER?

It sounds as though Bo is quite uncomfortable since she's scratching her ears excessively to the point of bleeding. While this is not a life-threatening emergency, it is certainly causing some degree of pain and discomfort, which necessitates a more urgent vet visit. It's likely that the ear mite medication didn't work because her issue may be caused by an ear infection with bacteria and/or yeast. At this point, your best option is to call your vet to ask about scheduling an urgent visit. I hope that she feels better soon!

Place an e-collar (cone) on him to prevent further trauma. Have him examined by your veterinarian or at the nearest veterinary ER. He may need antibiotics for infection as well as pain management. Once the infection is under control, an ear mite medication can be administered. Acarexx is a mite specific medication that will kill most mites with a single treatment. Severe cases may need multiple treatment. Topicals such as Revolution or Advantage Multi may also be used to treat mite infection.

Yes, it's safe to use Revolution on cat with ear mites, but your cat will still need to see the vet the aural hematoma. Revolution will not treat that, only the ear mites, and the hematoma will likely need to be drained and the ear flap sutured to prevent it from reoccurring. Please take your cat into the vet tomorrow if possible.

I'm sorry to hear that Baby Kitty's ear has been such a problem for her! Surgery is generally the treatment of choice for aural hematomas, but these issues can also develop scar tissue over a period of at least 6-8 weeks. If Baby Kitty has an ongoing ear infection, this could also exacerbate any head shaking, preventing scar tissue from forming appropriately. No surgery ever offers a definitive guarantee, but it seems that surgically addressing the hematoma would be less invasive, less painful and likely less expensive than removing the entire pinna (ear flap). The only pinna amputations that I have seen have been due to cancerous masses on the ear because the surgery can be very painful and cause a significant amount of bleeding. Consider discussing this with your vet and have her ears checked to assure that an infection is not present and causing irritation. I'm glad to see that she has an e-collar on - keep it up! Avoid using the transdermal medication on her right ear for the time being and be sure to clean her left ear prior to each application. I hope that all goes well!

I am sorry Muchacho is not feeling well. Yes, you can buy an e-collar typically over the counter at your local pet store. This would be a good idea if Muchacho is causing injury to his skin. However, if he is really itchy I would recommend taking him to the vet for treatment of the ear mites and maybe antibiotics for his skin. Typically the ear mites will not resolve just from being cleaned. I hope that helps

Poor Cinders! Ear hematomas will eventually resolve on their own without treatment, so watching and waiting is an option - the downside is that this can take quite a while in some cases, and the swelling may continue to be sore and uncomfortable for her in the meantime. It's also important to realize that in many cases, an ear hematoma is the result of an ear infection or other underlying problem which may need to be treated to allow the hematoma to heal. For this reason, it would be best to have her seen by a vet when you are able to. He/she can discuss pros and cons of surgery to drain the swelling vs. watchful waiting and help you decide what would be best.

It's probably earmites, they usually look like ground coffee or dried blood, very irritating for your cat, you should take her to the vet ASAP in order to get it treated, it is not life threatening though.