Hi guys,

My two Bengals have had problems with their ears since we got them. They regularly shake their heads and scratch their ears, sometimes to the point of creating bleeding sores. Sometimes it seems to ease off a little but it always returns.

They were found to have ear mites when they were kittens, but that was treated at the time. They are now almost 2 years old and in that time we've been back to the vets numerous times with the same problem. Each time she checks their ears and says she can't see anything moving in there, although she did say there was quite a lot of wax.

She's given them Frontline drops several times in order to kill off any potential bugs. On top of that we've tried a course of ear drops. We've now been given an ear wash solution which we're supposed to pour into their ears twice a week, give it a good squidge round, then wipe out with a cotton pad.

They absolutely HATE that though and it sends them into a complete panic, so we've resorted to squeezing a little of the solution onto a pad instead and just wiping their ears out. Sometimes they're very mucky and other times it doesn't look too bad. They always seem to like it once you get going - their back feet thumping as you do it, like a dog!

Whatever we do though, they just seem to keep shaking their heads and scratching. I'm well used to the vets not really knowing what they're doing with Bengals (we went through a whole saga with tritrichomonas foetus and trying to get Ronidazole for them, where generally it seemed like I knew a lot more about it that they did!!)

Has anyone else been through this and found any solutions that actually work? They are both indoor cats, so won't have picked up anything from outside.

Many thanks,

Claire

Look at those precious faces!!! There is obviously an irritation in their ears. And the fact that they both do this ...it is not a question of wax. Ear mites are quite common. Fleas can also get into the ears and cause issues. One of my cats had a tick in their ear that was the issue. You can bring "critters" into your home on your shoes and clothes -- so when you say the cats have not been outside, you have, and things can attach to you and then go onto the cats.

No cat likes its ears messed with. They are a particularly sensitive part of their body. Ear wax is necessary in protecting things from getting into the ear canal, so I would not want to be clearing that completely out. I would actually stop any treatment for a week and see what happens. Give the poor kitties a break. If they continue to scratch and shake their heads, then I might consult another vet. They don't have to specialize in bengals, per se, but someone else may spot something the other vet has not.

Shaking their heads may not necessarily be a problem with their ears per say. It's kind of a generic symptom that can mean that they are not feeling so hot in general. In addition to parasites, scratching the ears can also mean other things, like allergies (either to something like their food, or to something in their environment). It can also be caused by a skin irritation to something, ironically, like flea treatment.

Are they scratching any other parts of their bodies? Or just their ears? When do they shake their heads? Is it directly after or during a meal? Or does it correspond with them being in or having just spent time in a particular place in the house?

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The little monsters 3

Get the vet or someone knowledgeable to show you how to make a 'purrito' - wrapping the cat in a towel with just the head visible. This is how you get pills down or ears cleaned, and often the cat enjoys it.

Thanks for your comments guys! Tiger and Lily have seemed a little bit better recently, which is good news.

We changed their food back to cooked food recently, which they absolutely wolf down in comparison to the raw food they were on - they can't get enough of it! Whether that had anything to do with it I don't know, but they do seem to have stopped scratching a bit. The down side is their visits to the loo have got a lot smellier :( Swings and roundabouts!

We also haven't done the ear treatment for a few weeks, but as I say, it's certainly not got any worse. Maybe they did need a break @Sherry! If the scratching returns I think I will try another vet. @brianj12, I'll keep tabs on if there are any common times/causes as well.

"Purrito" made me chuckle @LadyKay haha! We used that technique when we had to give them Ronidazole and it worked very well. Certainly avoided losing half the skin on your arms anyway!

Thank you for your suggestions :)