My cat has weird spreading spots on its ear. Should I be concerned?

The spots could be from your cat itching excessively at her ears, or they could be a little bruises under the skin. It is difficult to know which is going on based on the pictures. I would recommend taking your cat into the vet because if it is bruises this could indicate a bleeding or clotting disorder. Hopefully it is nothing too serious going on, but I would have it checked out just to be safe.

It could be a bacterial/fungal skin infection or an allergic dermatitis. You could clean the area with Mal-A-Ket wipes and see if that helps. Otherwise, have your vet take a look at her to determine the cause and prescribe medications to treat.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is hard to know for sure based on these pictures though this is possibly a normal pigmentation change. If it is not associated with itchiness or discomfort, there is no need to be concerned about this. If you ever notice any discomfort or itchiness, have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a great day!

Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

Those white spots on Ed's ears could just be areas of normal pigment changes or areas where the hair is naturally thinner. As long as Ed is not itchy around his ears, does not have increased hair loss, and these spots do not get larger I would not be concerned and just monitor the area. If the area starts changing you can have Ed examined by a veterinarian and small samples can be obtained if necessary. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria but fungal infections are possible as well). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any scratching (if any). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Harlow. I recommend that she sees her veterinarian. Was she treated when the other cat had ringworm a few months ago? The standard recommendation is to treat all pets in the home. If so, it is less likely that that is the current problem. She appears to have a small scab. This can represent a wound from scratching her ears as well. I will see this in cats with an ear infection. The veterinarian will examine her and determine how best to treat. I hope this information helps!