Expert: Jessica - 10/6/2011

Question
My kitty Molly, who is about 3 years old and a petite "tuxedo" short hair kitty, has a scrape/scratch on her head that she keeps scratching open so it never heals. It is just behind/above her right ear. Over and over again I have tried to discourage her from scratching it when I see it, and I have applied antibiotic (neosporin) to keep it moist and let it heal, it has healed almost completely (most of the new skin growing in, the cut getting very small, just a tiny scab) and she has ripped it open again.

She was brought to my local shelter as a stray and had been overgrooming from nervousness and being bullied by neighborhood cats. She is a little obsessive in other ways, obsessively licking  us when we hold her (which we don't mind), sometimes obsessively cleaning her belly and feet and nails, so I don't know if that means it's hard for her to just leave things alone.

It doesn't seem to be any kind of skin condition as she doesn't have the problem anywhere else on her body. The only other solution I can imagine is getting her one of those cone collars (which I assume I would get from the vet) but my concern with doing that is we have another cat, Katie, who is younger and bigger than her, and often likes to chase her around and pounce on her. Molly knows how to get Katie to lay off when she's sick of it but I worry that a collar like this would make it harder for her to get away from Katie and defend herself from these annoying "play" sessions. Molly is better at climbing and jumping than Katie so normally if she wants to just go take a nap and not be bothered, she will climb up on top of kitchen cabinets or something. I don't think she could do this with a cone.

Is there anything else I could try applying to this wound that maybe would help it not itch or bother her? Is there something I can cover it up with that she can't rip off in 5 seconds? Probably not but just looking for any insight... Thanks!

Answer
Hi Jenn,

The cone might be your only solution if it's strictly behavioral, but first, I would have her ears checked out by a vet if you haven't done so. The most common reason why a cat will scratch behind her ears is an infection with ear mites, or a yeast or bacterial infection in that ear. If she has any of these problems, your vet can treat them with an appropriate drop and an oral antibiotic if necessary. A topical steroidal/antibiotic cream can be prescribed for the itchy spot if it seems that is a problem in itself. That should solve the problem without a cone.

If she is given the all-clear health-wise, you may want to consider placing Soft Paws on the claws that she's doing the damage with. These are soft, rounded vinyl caps that you glue over the natural nails. They are meant to protect furniture from nail damage, but I found that they protect skin from damage, as well. You can purchase them at most pet stores, online, and some vets and most groomers will apply them, too. If she's obsessive enough, she can probably still irritate her skin, but they may provide enough protection to allow the area to heal without resorting to a cone.

Good luck!

Jessica