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My cat's ears twitch, itch, and bleed. What's causing this problem?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 1 year and 6 months old | 9.5 lbs

My cats ears have been twitching for a while and she has no fleas. I took her to the vet and he checked her for ear mites and said she was clean. He said her ears looked a little red from inside but probably because she was an indoor-outdoor cat and it was hot outside that day. She started scratching her ear now and she has drawn blood on one of her ears. There is still no fleas. What could cause her ears to twitch randomly and itch her so bad to the point to where she draws blood?

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on August 17th, 2017

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.

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    Answered By Dr. Macartney, BVet Med, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    I would be highly suspicious of an ear infection. I would suggest a return trip to the veterinarian. You can hopefully book this as a "revisit" which is a reduced price or even free. Outer ear infections can progress to inner ear infections. Inner ear infections are very difficult to treat, are very painful and have serious potential complications, such as hearing loss and problems with balance. i would suggest returning to the vet as soon as you can, the vet may be willing to charge a discounted "recheck" exam fee rather then a full consult fee as you are returning for the same problem. The vet may also take a swab of the infected ear and send it away for analysis, so that the exact pathogens causing the infection can be identified and therefore a specific antibiotic can be used. I hope that this answer was helpful, and more importantly that Frida Katlo ear gets better soon. Warmest regards to you both.

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