What Causes Scabby Kitten Ears?

When scabs appear in the ears of a kitten, it typically means she has ear mites. However, there are other factors that could cause scabby kitten ears, such as food allergies and exposure to the elements. It's always a good idea to take your kitten to the vet if she has any sort of scabs that either worsen, do not improve, or are accompanied by shedding or peeling skin or ear discharge, or if she scratches at her ears frequently.

  1. Ear Mites

    • Ear mites are very small parasitic arachnids that live in the ears of cats. When a kitten has ear mites, she will shake her head in irritation and scratch at her ears. There may also be bleeding, a smelly red-brown waxlike discharge in the ear, small white or coffee-ground-colored specks that are inside of the ear, and scabs located on the interior of the ear such as in the folds of the ear and the ear's opening. Kittens in particular can get bacterial infections from wounds caused by excessive scratching in which the wound produces pus, so it's important to get her treated right away. You can treat ear mites with a liquid or an ointment that you can purchase from a veterinarian.

    Mange

    • Mange is another problem that is caused by a mite. The female mite burrows under the skin of the cat to lay eggs. This causes extreme itching, which results in excessive scratching that can seriously damage the skin of a cat and often results in sores and bleeding. These mites primarily live on the face, ears and neck of a cat. If your kitten has scabs on the outside of her ears or along the edges and tips of her ears, and she has been scratching so much that she is causing physical injury to her face and neck, it is highly likely that she has mange. Mange is cured by bathing a kitten with prescription shampoo that contains pyrethrin insecticide such as Amitraz or a lime sulfur insecticide dip. Adult cats can have a injected medicine called Ivermectin given to them by a vet; however, kittens cannot use this medicine as it is too powerful and can kill them.

    Skin Damage

    • If a kitten has scaly skin in her ears that is accompanied by scabs, and she is an outdoor cat, she may have gotten frostbitten or sunburned, depending on the climate. In some cases, especially for cats with white ears, scabs that are accompanied by thickened, scaly skin may be the first signs of skin cancer. Just like people, if your kitten is exposed to too much sun, the skin can turn cancerous. The cancer often takes the form of black lumps on the edges of her ears.

    Other Causes

    • Some cats have food allergies that can cause reactions when ingested, such as itchy ears. If the kitten scratches at her ears too frequently, or too hard, she can open the skin on the ear, which will result in scabs forming. Veterinarians can give the kitten an antihistamine cream and will be able to recommend a hypo-allergenic kitten food for her to eat, as her diet may be causing her ears to itch.