Scratched ear

[jassy3399]

Hey guys, need some advice. My new baby Rocky has scarred and damaged ears from frostbite. They have little to no hair on the backs, and he's hot a good scratch that he keeps making worse when he scratches. And because there's less hair, his ears get gunky and itch so he scratches. I wasn't positive until tonight it was self inflicted since he does still irritate my older kitty, but I saw him scratch and make it worse. So. What can I do to get this healed and prevent it from being a chronic thing? And, though I probably don't need to mention it here, I am 110% AGAINST declawing.

[rhynes]

you can try a product like Soft Paws, alot of the stores around here carry them or different brands. They glue on.

https://www.softpaws.com/soft-paws-cats/

[Longblades]

What did your Vet say? If the ears are gunky from infection clearing up the infection is necessary. Whether it's inside his ears or outside. Frostbitten skin is damaged and may never heal properly and always be sensitive to cold and touch. Ask your Vet if there is a salve or something, a medicine, that will help the sensitivity, maybe even help repair the damage. Stopping him from scratching may be needed as well but addressing the source of the irritation as well as it's symptom of scratching is the way to go, unless your Vet says otherwise.

[Reg]

I am sorry to hear about the trouble you're having with Rocky. I think the soft paws will help alleviate some of the damage done by scratching.

How long have you had Rocky, and was the frostbite this winter or the previous winter? Your description of his ear being gunky sounds as if it could be an ear infection, and the loss of hair in and around ear can also be another marker of severe aggravation from an infection. There could be several things causing it, bacterial infection, fungal infection, and ear mites. Are both his ears infected the same way? If they are it could be ear mites, and you mentioned an older Kitty. Is the older Kitty having trouble with its ears as well, and are they dirty and gunky in side as well? If they are it well could be mites, and they can be contagious to other animals.

I think if it were me, I'd be taking the cat into the vet and having it checked out. They can take a sample of it and put it under a microscope, and give you an answer to exactly what the problem is. They can also give you disinfectant to relieve some of the inflammation and pain in the ears.

There are decent products at the pet food stores that can be applied, but under the circumstances with Rocky's ears suffering from frostbite and possible infection, as well as other animals in the household I would be very tempted to have a vet look at it rather than going off and trying to fix the problem yourself. Just in case you haven't cleaned cats ears before usually the tech will teach you the proper method of cleaning them which is a great asset.