Why are my cat's ears scaly? What's causing this skin issue?

This may be sun damage, a precursor to skin cancer, a skin infection or damage due to excessive scratching. I recommend a full check up as soon as possible, in many cases removal of the ear tips and biopsy is recommended if no apparent infection is identified

Pumpkin may be suffering from a mite infection, allergies or a bacterial or fungal infection. All of these need veterinary care and each is treated differently from the other. Your vet can easily determine which condition it is by clinical exam and/or a skin scrape. Mites are easily treated with an injectable acaricide, a bacterial infection needs antibiotics, fungal infections is treated with a fungicide and allergies with these signs usually point to food allergies, treatable by avoiding the allergenic food and feed a specific hypoallergenic diet. Please take Pumpkin to a vet soon. Mite and fungal infections are also contagious to people. and other pets.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. The scab could be a self-inflicted wound if Yamcha has been scratching the ear excessively. It often happens with ear canal infections. It could be reaction to sun - cats can get sun burns, which most often affects ears. You can try using sunscreen on the ears to see if it is going to help ( you can buy sunscreen for cats Online). Finally, there are some diseases affecting the tip of the ear (usually auto-immune diseases) but they are very uncommon in cats.

Unfortunately, without seeing it in person, I can't say for certain what is causing this rough and bumpy patch beneath Shiki's ear. I can say that if she is scratching below her ear, that can be a sign of an ear infection, and I do think she should see a vet for it. Ear infections in cats can be caused by ear mites, yeast, or bacteria, and can only be treated by medications from the vet. I recommend having Shiki seen by a vet tomorrow to diagnose if she does have an ear infection, and to get medications to treat it if she does. It's important to treat any ear infection promptly, as leaving it untreated can lead to hearing loss.

It is difficult to diagnose without actually seeing the lesion but it could be an infection or possibly a squamous cell carcinoma which is more common in white cats. If your vet is not able to diagnose then you should find another vet in your area that can examine your cat.

Sammy could have ear infections, insect bites, sunburn, or even early cancer. Without knowing what the causes is it is difficult to say what treatment you could try. If it's due to insect bites then keeping him indoors and away from any insects is appropriate. However if he has an infection or this is early cancer your veterinarian will need to be involved and likely prescribe medication or even need surgery.

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!