My senior cat has inflamed ear spots and diarrhea. Are they related?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. It sounds as though there are two separate problems going on. The sore in the ear could indicate an ear infection or ear mites if he is scratching at the ear. The intermittent GI issues could be related to the diet or an imbalance of normal gut bacteria. I would recommend switching the diet to something different altogether such as Science Diet, Royal Canin, Purina One or Natural Balance. You can also add in a probiotic such as Purina Fortiflora, which can be found online quite easily. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! These could be benign or malignant growths. There is no way of knowing for sure without an examination though this represents a reason to seek veterinary care. This is usually determined with an examination and a fine needle aspirate (FNA) or a biopsy. Treatment depends on the findings up to that point. I recommend you have Moo evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Good luck and have a good night!

I think the two signs are likely to be unrelated. Those skin lesion may be compatible with a fungal infection (ringworm) and ideally a check up would be needed to confirm this clinical suspicion and treat appropriately. Diarrhoea is likely to be caused by change in the diet, parasite infestation or bacterial infection. Antibiotics may be needed. 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.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This may be secondary infections due to allergies for example. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing her allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

I think this looks like a scrape or potentially the beginning of a skin infection. I can't think of a link between diarrhea and a skin lesion like this. If this spot gets larger or you notice more skin lesions I'd recommend rechecking with your vet. If it is a scratch it should resolve without treatment in a week or two.

Hello! With out at least a picture of the bumps its hard to give you an idea of what may be going on. I can tell you that the most common reason cats scratch there ears is due to a mite infection. Another common problem are polyps in her ear, which are usually in the ear canal and can cause cats to scratch their ears. The bumps around the outside of her ears could be irritation from her scratching the area. Other considerations could be a primary dermatological problem and neoplasia. While age is certainly not a disease, neoplasia is more common in older pets and therefore has to be on the list. I do not think Spicy is any immediate danger. I would recommend having her seen by a veterinarian as for an examination of her ears and possibly some tests of the skin around the ears. Hopefully this helps a bit!

With a clean ear canal, the most common cause of tiny bumps on the ear itself is related to hypersensitivity reactions from insect bites. The inflamed and sore lesion in front of Teak's left ear is most likely due to self-trauma from him scratching. The concern is that this skin may be infected from the excessive scratching. Your best bet is to take Teak to his vet for an exam because he may need a course of antibiotics and antihistamines to manage this issue. Be sure that Teak is receiving a high quality flea preventative (such as Advantage or Revolution) monthly because flea bites can also cause bumps on the ears. I hope that all goes well!