My cat's ears itch for a year. Can I treat at home or need a vet?

Your cat may have an ear infection or Earmites. This really should be seen by a vet to get the correct treatment. Try cleaning her ears with a solution of 50% water/50% white vinegar. Moisten a cotton ball and wipe only the visible portion of the ear. DO NOT push the cotton ball down into the ear canal, and DO NOT fill the ear canal with liquid, this can cause nerve damage. This may make her feel a little more comfortable, but probably won't cure her condition. If you are in financial difficulty, there are ways of still getting your pet treated by a veterinarian. Ask if they take Care Credit and apply online. This is a credit card that is used specifically for medical, dental, and veterinary expenses. GiveForward is a crowd funding website that helps you raise money to help take care of your pets Call your local animal shelter and ask if they have or can direct you to a low-cost pet clinic that works with people with limited incomes. If there is a college of veterinary medicine in your area, call and ask them about a low- or no-cost veterinary care program. Many run low-cost clinics for limited income clients. The Humane Society website has a lot of links to other organizations that help with veterinary expenses. Some are for working/service animals, some are breed-specific, some are by start or location. Hopefully there is something available in your area.

I'm sorry to hear that Lily is dealing with allergies. This can definitely be a frustrating condition to treat and manage. If it is only the tips of Lily's ears that are affected you can try applying some antibiotic ointment on the sores and see if that helps. If however the ear is inflammed or there is discharge in the ear then she may have an ear infection and need ear drops to help it clear up. Ear infections are very common on pets with allergies. And finally, yes, it is expensive to have allergy testing done and the price you quoted does seem like the average cost. This is a good option for treatment of allergies if you want to consider giving allergy shots to your cat long term. If that is not something you feel comfortable with then I would not spend the money to have the test performed. And many vets are comfortable treating cats but there are "cat only" practices that are focused on cat healthcare. You may be able to find a clinic like this in your area if you are interested. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

Those ears are very red, which indicates that something is really irritating them. Ear mites could be a cause and can be easily treated for. Allergies is another common cause, but it's more likely to be related to the environment than it is food. Food allergies account from 5-15% of all allergies and require a proper elimination diet trial to diagnose the cause, so I wouldn't worry about switching around foods at this time. Bathing is a good idea, because it may remove the environmental allergin that is causing the problem. I would recommend bathing about once a week with cool water; using a shampoo and conditioner labeled for cats with oatmeal or aloe as ingredients. You can also get ear flush at the pet store. This will help treat/prevent ear infections and remove allergins. There are some good instructional videos on youtube that can show you how to properly do this. I recommend flushing once every other day for two weeks. However, this kitty needs some relief from the inflammation and it may be necessary for a trial treatment for ear mites. If the vet you went to before did not offer any sort of treatment options, then I would either ask for a follow-up visit or go to another vet for a second opinion. I hope that helps and Pequenino feels better soon.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The treatment will depend on what exactly is causing the itchiness. For example, if it turns out to be ear mites then the treatment would be to treat the mites. I recommend you have Stellet evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Mites for example are very easy to treat. Good luck and have a good night.

Poor Spookette! It sounds like she may have a pretty bad ear infection. Ear infections can be due to mites, bacteria, or yeast in cats. I'd recommend scheduling an examination with a veterinarian so Spookette can have her ears checked out. A swab can be taken from the ears and evaluated under the microscope to determine if the cause is mites, bacteria, or yeast. She will likely need prescription ear medication to treat. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach and I hope Spookette's ear issue resolves quickly!

Ear infections in cats can also be caused by yeast or bacteria, and are more common causes of ear infections in adult cats. Ear mites are more common in kittens. In order to treat Belle properly, she does have to see a vet, and vets will see pets for sickness. This counts, as leaving it untreated can lead to hearing loss. Give her vet a call to make her an appointment.

Fleas or mites would still be at the top of my list. Unless there are a very large number of mites, you may not always see them by just looking. Collecting a sample of ear wax and looking under a microscope can help you find a few, but often ear mite treatment is still used even when there is only suspicion and no actual evidence of ear mites. Fleas don't live on a pet, they only jump on at meal times, so it is easy for a cat owner to miss them - especially since cats are very good at grooming them off before you can see! I would talk to your vet about a prescription topical flea and mite treatment called Revolution. Since Frida Katio (wonderful name, btw!) is indoor/outdoor that lives in Texas (parasites love this state, too!), she should be on a good preventative year round. Other potential causes for the scratching and twitching include bacterial or yeast ear infection (would need diagnosis by looking under a microscope), nasopharyngeal polyp (may need an exam under anesthesia or using and endoscope), or other allergies, like environmental or food.