Expert: Dr. Louis N. Gotthelf - 8/26/2005

Question
My female indoor domestic shorthair cat who is about 2 years old, seems preoccupied with itching her ears and around her head region, to the tune of about 10+ times per day. She does seem to have a constant build up of wax in her ears, to which I clean with cotton balls and mineral oil about every other week, but this does not seem to curve her need to scratch. Because she scratches not only her ears but also her face, I am not convinced the ear wax is the culprit, though she does seem to focus more on her ears. Please advise with possible remedies to her discomfort.  

Answer
If the cat does not have ear mites (which a vet can tell you) it may be that she has facial itching from a food allergy.  You can change her food to a protein source that she has never seen before or you can feed a special prescription diet available at your vet's office.