Why is my cat sneezing and shaking its head when I touch its ears?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
My cat has been sneezing often and shaking its head whenever I touch it's ears. What should I do?
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on January 13th, 2018
Poor baby. He could be suffering from allergies or a upper respiratory infection (URI). He could also have an ear infection or ear mites. You can try Benadryl to see if that helps. See link below. If he isn’t improving, I would have your vet take a look at him. Your vet will be able to determine if there is any type of infection or mites in his ears and get him started on the proper ear meds. They will also be able to get him on some antibiotics for his URI if needed. I hope this helps. https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/cat/benadryl/
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on November 9th, 2018
Congrats on your new cat! It could be that Loki may have an ear infection causing him to shake his head and scratch his ear. Given that he lived in a shelter, respiratory infections can be common there, and that could be the cause of his sneezing. I'd take him into a vet today to get him checked out. Best of luck!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
my indoor male cat is shaking head rubbing ear and is uncomfortable. we put ear mite med in ears thinking this might be it. could it be serious?
Ear mites is possible but in an indoor only kitty it is less likely and the more likely cause would be a bacterial or yeast infection of the ear, or a foreign body stuck in the ear. I would recommend a vet visit. The vet can look in the ear with an otoscope and can take a swab from the ear to check under the microscope for mites, bacteria or yeast and prescribe medications to treat this.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
I rescued a 3 week old kitten around 2 weeks ago, he is now 5 weeks old. Just recently, he has been scratching the insides of his ears and shaking his head. He has no ear wax or discharge, no other symptoms of ear mites. His ears are a pale pink colo
Poor Toby! He could have a middle ear infection caused by yeast or bacteria that you cannot see. His symptoms do indicate a problem with his ears, and I would take him into the vet today or tomorrow for an exam. The vet can look down his ears with an otoscope to see if he does have an infection, and can treat him for it. It's important to have any ear problem examined and treated promptly as leaving it untreated can lead to hearing loss.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Im a new kitten mom. Brought my little kitten home from the shelter on Sunday. Since hes been home, hes been sneezing and scratching at his ears and sounds stuffed up sometimes. It sounds like allergies but what would be some things he would be aller
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! I would actually be more concerned about an upper respiratory infection. This is common in young cats and in most cases it responds to antibiotics. I recommend that you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment. They would be able to check for this and start therapy accordingly. Good luck and have a good night!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
New Pet
Hello, I just adopted a 10 month old cat from a shelter. He was neutered 2 days ago. I am concerned because he shakes his head on occasion and has scratched his ear a few times. I have heard him sneeze about 5 or 6 times. Is it allergies or an ear in
Congrats on your new cat! It could be that Loki may have an ear infection causing him to shake his head and scratch his ear. Given that he lived in a shelter, respiratory infections can be common there, and that could be the cause of his sneezing. I'd take him into a vet today to get him checked out. Best of luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My cat sneezes excessively whilst grooming and when he purrs. He also sneezes after eating. No discharge noted and he is eating and drinking as usual. He plays when engaged but is not his excessively affectionate self. Today I noted that he doesn't w
Thank you for submitting your question regarding Blue. Has he been treated for a possible upper respiratory tract infection or an allergy? Those are my first two thoughts when reading your post. If the sneezing persists so frequently, I would ask your veterinarian about this possibilities. Allergies do not typically affect attitude or energy level so if he is not as affectionate as normal, he may have an infection. I hope this information helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Both cats have been shaking their heads and itching their ears for about 2 months now. Had their ears checked, nothing is wrong with them. Clean as whistle, no mites, I was told "their ears just itch". I don't buy it. It doesn't just randomly start w
It could be allergies. Even if the vet didn't see mites, I would recommend that both cats be treated with a topical parasiticide like Revolution that will treat ear mites and fleas (the other common itch). Other possible causes for itch include food allergies and environmental allergies. Some pets can be allergic to lots of things that don't cause itching, but when they start to build-up in the body they reach their itch threshold. You can talk to your vet about a dose of zyrtec or claritin to try. But some pets can be managed by staying on flea preventatives and a diet for allergies.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My brown burmuse is five in age and has one ear infection and sniffles and sneezes...Almost believed started sneezing because I showed him I was sneezing...now I believe my sneezing allergies got to teddy bear...can't get overdue vaccines till next p
You need to get him to the vet for an exam. You cannot get him vaccinated if he has an upper respiratory infection and an ear infection. Those have to be taken care of first. I don't recommend using Mullien Tea in your cat's ear. Your best option is to try to Google low cost vet clinics in your area. You can also try your local humane society - they often have low cost vet clinics attached to them.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My cat keeps sneezing Nonstop and itching his nose.he has boogers bad. Is it contagious and how do I fix him ?
Judging from your description, it sounds as if he is fighting an upper respiratory infection. Many of these are a result of a viral infection. I would recommend having him examined by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. He likely needs an antibiotic for a secondary bacterial infection potentially and a lysine supplement to help reduce the severity / duration of the viral infection. There are multiple lysine supplements that you can find online or at your local PetCo for cats. 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
Grooming
So my cat basically right now has a runny nose and is frequently sneezing with a pale coloured mucus. Her breath isn't too great and she seems larthargic and sleeps more than normal. To add to this there is a crust forming on her right ear which is
Thank you for submitting your question regarding Princess. She likely has an upper respiratory tract infection based on the signs you have described. It seems to involve her eyes and possibly her ears. She will need to see her veterinarian today if possible. If this is the case, she will most likely be started on an oral antibiotic, eye ointment and an ear medication as well. In the meantime, encourage her to eat and drink. Being congested makes it harder to smell her food. This can affect her appetite. So if she stops eating well, you can add warm water to her food or offer warmed canned food. These will smell stronger and may entice her to eat. I hope this information helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My dog has been shaking his head lately and sneezing a lot more often than normal. He acts completely normal otherwise. Could it be symptoms of something serious?
Thanks for using Boop by Petco! This is possibly due to allergies. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. Head shaking needs to be addressed as it can lead to an ear hematoma for example. 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 sk
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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