Cat scratching his ears

Question
This two year old tom cat scratches his ears and shakes his head and is missing some hair in that area.  He eats well but is not as energetic or as plump as he was.  I dont see any fleas, but I have heard of mites.  He was staying outside but he began hiding, a sign of illness. I doing fairly well but is not himself.  What should I do?  Many thanks.

Answer
Hi James.  You really need to get him to a vet.  Ear mites can make a cat miserable.  He will scratch his ears to the point of bleeding and shake his head.  Those signs are consistent with ear mites.  It's important to treat for ear mites, because cats who constantly shake their heads often end up with aural hematomas.  A vein in the pinna (the outside of the ear) bursts and leaks blood out under the skin.  A pool of blood forms, and the ear crumples over.  If a hematoma forms and ear mites still go untreated, the ear often shrivels up, folds over, and creates serious problems inside the ear - namely chronic ear infections.  And those can result in severe pain, deafness, loss of balance, etc.  Surgery to correct the ear can be required.

Ear mites are treatable with over-the-counter treatments available at pet stores, grocery stores, and discount stores.  However, the best treatments are going to come from your vet.  Most vets are using one-time treatments that begin killing mites immediately and kill nearly all mites within 24 hours.  Store-bought remedies take weeks to work and don't usually get rid of all mites.

However, an ear mite infestation isn't likely to cause any weight loss, loss of energy, or hiding.  It sounds to me like you probably have a combination of problems going on.  The last few symptoms you mentioned are probably caused by something completely separate from ear mites.  An ear infection rather than ear mites is possible.  These require strong antibiotics to cure.  Any other type of infection, regardless of where it is, is going to need antibiotics, too.  Only a vet can prescribe those.

So do schedule an appointment with your vet today!  There are a great number of things that can cause energy and weight loss, including diabetes, abscesses (from fighting, usually), organ failure, and many others, and all of them are best treated sooner rather than later.

It would be good to talk to your vet about neutering the tom, as well.  This will help him healthwise and will prevent pet overpopulation.

Good luck!