Why is my cat scratching behind her ears and losing fur, no mites?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Pet's info: Cat | Norwegian Forest Cat | Female | spayed
cat scratches behind ears no mites so why does she do this has hair all scratched off by her ears
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on December 7th, 2017
Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about Midnite. Scratching around the neck area is usually secondary to fleas in cats or ear mites but you stated no ear mites are present. Bacterial skin infections, other ear infections, nutritional problems, etc could be also involved. I would advise using a good flea/tick product as advised by your veterinarian based on your geographical location. If the condition persists, let your veterinarian see Midnite. They can gather a history, examine her and advise diagnostic/treatment based on their findings. Good luck
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on July 28th, 2017
Hi, sometimes when cats have fleas they also have ear mites. Eat mites cause intense scratching and discomfort and can cause redness around the ears. I would treat her with a topical called Revolution that you can purchase from a vet that will also help with fleas. Clean out the ears with an ear cleaned and q- tips and apply an ear mite remedy you can purchase at a vet or pet store. Good luck, i hope this helps!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
I juts discovered small tiny red about this size of a pencil eraser scab on my long haired kitties neck It must be a irritant as she won't let me examine it closer. The only change for my cat is she isn't eating her treats (She has been vomiting lar
Scabs around the neck like this are usually due to excessive scratching, either from itchy skin or ears. This itching usually indicates an infection of some sort. I would keep an eye on the area and if it spreads it is cruising Midnight discomfort then I would recommend taking him in to the vet to be checked out.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hi, my cat Bella has been scratching both sides of her neck and in her right ear frequently today. She hasn't used any flea/tick productions for a month now and has never had any issues until now. Should I be concerned?
Hi, thanks for using Boop by Petco! Bella likely has an ear infection at least in her right ear and maybe her left since she is scratching that side. Ear infections and scratching the skin can be a sign of allergies. Food or environmental allergens can be the underlying cause. Ear infections are most likely from an overgrowth of yeast or bacteria and rarely at Bella's age ear mites. I do recommend making an appointment with your Vet to have her ears and skin looked at. The Vet will take a sample of the wax from both ears and look at it under the microscope to determine if yeast, bacteria or ear mites are the cause of her infection. They they will prescribe an ear wash and medicated drops to be applied to her ears. They may also give her steroids to relieve the generalized scratching. I hope this helps and I wish Bella a speedy recovery!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hi, my cat has been overgrooming/scratching herself so much that her fur is coming off and her skin is scanning. We've given her flea treatment and our vet also did the same but nothing's helped
Hi and thanks for using Boop by Petco! Sorry to hear about Oreo. Not all flea products are created equally and you want to make sure to use what your vet recommends. But having said that, it may not be flea related. Allergies, skin infections, intestinal parasites, nutrition, etc all play a role in skin and hair coat. External parasites of course must be addressed and it sounds like you have done that. It is possible that stress/anxiety can also cause over grooming. Your vet can assess her now with the new information that you are using what they recommended. They can do skin tests such as fungal Woods lamp, skin scrape, fungal culture and other tests to try to determine what is going on. Once those are done your vet can then advise a sound treatment plan. She may need antibiotics, steroids, fish oil, antihistamines, etc to get her back on track. Good luck with Oreo.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I’ve recently discovered the my cat has been loosing hair in both her ears, but when I check for ear mites, both ears look clean and I’m not really sure what else it could be
Hi there! Thanks for using Boop by Petco! There is a variety of reasons that can explain alopecia or hair loss. The causes can easily be differentiated by the clinical signs associated with it and the physical exam findings. If Nala is only showing some hair loss without scratching or overgrooming then it could conditions such as alopecia areata that can affect cats and usually resolves on its own. If there is evidence of scratching and you start noticing some redness or irritation associated with it, then other conditions such as allergies are possible. If you notice her overgrooming herself in that area then it could be something like psychogenic alopecia which is more of a behavioral issue. I think that since she is not having overt clinical signs and it is mostly hair loss, I think it is possibly transient and could resolve on its own. You can monitor this closely and if it does not resolve or it worsens then have her examined by your veterinarian. Good luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
For years my cat had been scratching inside of her ears vigorously. She often cries out in pain while she’s scratching. She shakes her head a lot also. I always thought she had ear mites but when I took her to the vet last year they said she didn’t h
Hello. It is likely Putty could have allergies causing this issue. My recommendation would be to take her to a veterinary dermatologist to get some testing. That is the only way you are going to know for sure if she is allergic to something, what it is and how to treat it. She could have an underlying issue like an endocrine disease (ie: hyperthyroidism) so blood testing, if she hasn't had any, would be warranted due to her age. If the ears are clean and free of discharge you could try using an anti-inflammatory in the ears to reduce itching. Use as directed. https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zymox-ear-solution?rrec=true Finally, you could try supplementing her with some vitamins: http://www.dinovite.com/dinovite-for-cats/ And an immune booster: https://www.petwellbeing.com/products/immune-sure-for-feline-immune-system-support Hope this helps. Best wishes.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Training & Behavior
My cat has been excessively scratching her neck and she's losing hair, what can I use to help with the itch?
Poor girl. The most common two causes of itching in cats are allergies and skin parasites. Cats can be allergic to food, the environment, or fleas. No matter what the original cause was, after they start scratching, it can lead to a superficial skin infection with bacteria and that infection itself also causes itching! I would recommend starting with a vet visit to make sure she doesn't need antibiotics, and to do a "skin scrape" (a quick and painless sampling of the surface of the skin under the microscope for mites), and then talk about various possible allergies and treatments. Good luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Hello my cat started off with dandruff now it's all bump bad on the back of her by her tail and now she has hair loss on her tummy
Poor Midnight looks so very itchy and uncomfortable. The bald patch is usually caused by excessive grooming. The scabs indicate that there is likely a skin infection. This can all be caused by allergies to fleas, food, or something in her environment (like fay fever in humans). Anxiety and pain can also cause over grooming, but neither anxiety or pain would cause the scabbing on her back. Another possibility is something called eosinophilic granuloma, which is an immune mediate issue cats frequently get. I would recommend taking her to the vet to get started on an appropriate flea medication and treatment for the infection. If that doesn't clear up the issue, they can do more diagnostics to get to the bottom of things. Good luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
heal or stop cat scratching. noticing scabs only to face and to ears. recently to vet no worms or fleas. cat indoor only. idk what she is reacting too. notice scabs on ears too. i see her scatch self influcted? maybe i need to change food. have been
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! This is possibly due to allergies. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. 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 rewardi
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My cat is losing hair on her ears. The outside ears are very rough and ear itself is red. She is scratching but it is not ear mites.
Hi there and thank you for using Boop by Petco to address your concern. Judging from the photos you have provided, I would suspect this to be a severe allergic reaction or something such as a cancerous skin condition of the ear pinna. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine this so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. Vampira may need a course of steroids to treat this if it is a mosquito bite hypersensitivity or other allergy. 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.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My 8 month old cat has bald spot scab behind her left ear. It started as just a normal small scab and now it's bigger and she is completely bald now where the scab is. Is there anything I can do other than take her to the vet? I'm really coneed about
Typically, areas like this pop up after excessive scratching. I would be concerned that your car may have an ear infection that is causing her to scratch excessively. I would recommend taking your cat in to the vet to be checked for an ear infection. Also, if the area is infected severely enough, your vet may recommend an antibiotic as well. In the meantime you can try putting some triple antibiotic ointment on the affected area and see if that helps. Best of luck! Thanks for using Boop by Petco.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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