Why is my cat scratching his head, has ear gunk, and is underweight?

Question

I Have a Siberian cat about 20 months old. He's been scratching his head like crazy. I noticed some black gunk inside his ear and took it out with a swab. There were tiny specks. I put it under magnifying glass and zoomed in with my camera and found out that they were Mites. My vet says that they aren't mites but Ticks. He also have sticky substance under his chin from where he lost some hair. He seems to be underweight, the bones of hips and backbone can be felt easily. Please help. Pet's info: Cat | Siberian | Male | unneutered | 1 year and 10 months old

Dr. Leigh, DVM · Accepted Answer

It sounds like your cat has ear mites based on your description. Your vet can look under a microscope and should easily be able to confirm if they are ear mites. If he has mites, the ears should be cleaned and then you could use Revolution spot-on to treat the mites. If he has ticks than you could use Frontline to treat for fleas and ticks. If he is underweight, you could have your vet check a stool sample to see if he has any intestinal parasites that need to be treated.

Why is my cat scratching his head, has ear gunk, and is underweight?

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