Ear skin question

[JulieHarr]

I have a 3 yoa male, Nubi, short hair indoor/outdoor cat. I am in S. Louisiana. Last summer there was a problem with bites on ears. The vet said looks like mosquito or gnat bites. His ears cleared up as soon as the weather cooled. Well, here we go again, the weather is warm and he now has the bites again on ears.

I have a 2nd indoor/outdoor cat, Simon, he has never had this problem.

Does anyone have idea if this is heat related or bug bites?
Can a cat be allergic to some bugs?
Any suggestion for a bug repellent I can apply to his ears?

 

[neely]

Just out of curiosity does he go outside or is he strictly an indoor cat? The reason I asked is because if he goes outside he would be more susceptible to bug bites. I know the southern states get very hot and humid during summer and the current flooding in some areas is probably a contributing factor. Personally I would not put any bug repellent on his ears especially if it has harsh chemicals without contacting the vet to ask their opinion about the cause and how to treat it. Maybe other members have some suggestions.

 

[JulieHarr]

Indoor/Outdoor, mostly inside. I won't put anything on him until I research it. I have another cat that is indoor/outdoor and he doesn't have any problems.

Just out of curiosity does he go outside or is he strictly an indoor cat? The reason I asked is because if he goes outside he would be more susceptible to bug bites. I know the southern states get very hot and humid during summer and the current flooding in some areas is probably a contributing factor. Personally I would not put any bug repellent on his ears especially if it has harsh chemicals without contacting the vet to ask their opinion about the cause and how to treat it. Maybe other members have some suggestions.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Likely an allergy - either from some bites from bug(s) that are prevalent when your weather is warmer, or a reaction to seasonal/weather changes that occur in the warmer months. Given these spots are only occurring on Nubi's ears, it seems kind of weird that the bugs would only be biting him in those locations. Maybe it is because of there being less hair on the ears than most other places on a cat's body? I would double check his entire body, especially any less 'hairy' areas to see if you find any spots there.

Does he scratch at his ears at all? Usually allergies are accompanied by itchiness, which results in scratching. I only bring this up as something for you to pay attention to in case he would ever scratch them raw - leading to a potential bacterial infection, especially since he spends time outside where he can get into dirt/etc.

You might ask the vet about a cat-safe antihistamine that you could try on Nubi to see if that stops the spots from occurring. An antihistamine can help with either bug bite or weather related allergies.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

There ARE insect repellents for animals, but they are mostly for mosquitos. Unless you know what it is, I wouldn't use them. If you can narrow it down to mosquitos, then you could use them, with your Vet's blessing. To read about them, just google "insect repellent for cats"