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My kitten is sleepy, not eating, and has ear parasites. What's wrong?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | American Shorthair | Male | neutered | 5 months and 3 days old | 5 lbs

My kitten has been so sleepy,no longer activeand and lethargic since yesterday, He still eats, but just eats very little. Today he had a day of sleep, he just ate a little bit of food in the morning and then he started to sleep. At the same time, I saw some parasites in his ears

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Vanessa Yeager DVM MPH

Veterinarian

Published on September 11th, 2017

Hi and thank you for your question on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

It sounds like Quarter has a lot going on and is not feeling very well. I am sorry to hear!

It is hard to say exactly what is happening with Quarter without examining him first but I can offer some possibilities.

Ear mites are common parasites that can infect the ear. These are very itchy and can really cause some discomfort in cats. If Quarter has not been vaccinated, I would be concerned about something infectious causing his symptoms such a virus.

My best advice is to take Quarter into a veterinarian for an exam and some diagnostic testing to determine what is in his ear and why he is lethargic.

I hope this helps and I hope you can take him into see his veterinarian soon.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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