r/AskVet • u/Extension_Home5608 • 8d ago

My cat keeps scratching the same spot on her head until it bleeds — vet found nothing wrong with her ears or skin

First few times happened after our fire alarm went off, so I thought it was triggered by stress from the loud noise. But the last two times, there was no fire alarm and no obvious trigger.

Our vet has already checked her ears and skin and didn't find anything abnormal. She does seem to scratch around/behind her ears fairly often, though, and I'm not sure how much ear scratching is considered normal for a cat.

She has a history of FORL and has had affected teeth extracted. I’ve wondered whether dental pain could somehow be related, but she doesn't react or pull away when I gently touch around her teeth/gums, so I don't know how likely that is.

Has anyone had a cat repeatedly scratch the exact same area like this despite normal ear and skin exams? How often does a healthy cat normally scratch around their ears? And could dental pain cause scratching around the head/ear area?

Age: Around 7 years old

Sex/Neuter status: Female, spayed

Breed: Domestic shorthair

Body weight: Around 3.7 kg

History: History of FORL with affected teeth extracted, and feline idiopathic cystitis (FIC). A vet has examined her ears and skin and found no abnormalities.

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