Cat Keeps Shaking Head but No Mites: 10 Possible & Common Causes

A cat that keeps shaking its head in an effort to dislodge mites from its ears may look like it’s fighting an uphill battle.

Cat’s head keeps moving, no matter how hard she shakes her head, but she can’t see anything. She can’t feel anything either. This cat has not got mites.

But I don’t know why, the vet kept asking me to bring the cat back. It’s only for one week. Why does she keep shaking her head and how can I get rid of mites?

Why Do Cats Shake Their Heads?

When a cat shakes its head, it’s probably because its ears are itchy. Although there may be other causes, in this essay I will focus on ear infections as a possible explanation for their head-shaking behavior.

It’s natural to shake your head back and forth occasionally when you need to clarify something. After resting or playing, many cats may shake their heads. This will assist correct the fluid in their ears and improve their sense of balance.

A clue that something is disturbing your cat is if they keep shaking their head, holding their head cocked, or scratching at their ears. Cats’ ears are particularly delicate, therefore ear infections may be rather painful for them.

Infestations of ear mites are a prevalent cause of ear infections in cats. Once ear mites have been ruled out, the following six causes of ear infections in cats should be considered.

Cat Keeps Shaking Head but No Mites? – 10 Possible Causes

Outer Ear Infections and Ear Mites

Outer ear infections might be mistaken for infections caused by mites. Your cat will exhibit similar symptoms, including tossing its head and scratching at its ears with its hind feet.

However, inflammation and reddish swelling are the most noticeable abnormalities if you look attentively at their ears. Some sort of leakage might potentially occur.

Which, even if it isn’t visible, you’ll be able to smell since it’s so awful.

Your vet will need to obtain a sample from the infected ear to identify whether it is a bacterial or yeast infection before they can begin treatment.

To eliminate the illness and choose the most effective treatment, doctors need to first pinpoint its source. The treatment will continue at home until the infection has cleared up.

What Are Ear Mites?

Not very prevalent in indoor cats, ear mites (Otodectes cynotis) are more common in cats than dogs. Your cat may toss its head to relieve the acute itching caused by them.

Your veterinarian will administer medication to address the underlying illness or ear mite infestation based on what they see under the microscope (and whether or not your cat’s ear drums are intact).

Middle and Inner Ear Infections

When a cat has an ear infection, it usually begins on the outer ear. If the bacterium has progressed this far, it might infect the middle and inner parts of the cat’s ear.

It’s more widespread and deeper in the ear canal than an outer ear infection, thus it might be more dangerous.

You may tell something is wrong because your cat will continuously shaking their head and clawing at their ears, two indicators we need to watch out for. You should also keep an eye out for these additional indicators:

• Their head was cocked to the side.
• Idling about
• Their exposed third eyelid
• Problems with equilibrium and spatial awareness
• Severely diminished hunger
• Squinting or blinking too much

Infections in the middle or inner ear require veterinary attention. A CT or x-ray scan may also be performed. Your veterinarian can then choose the best course of action based on the extent of the infection.

Polyps

Nasopharyngeal polyps, or simply polyps, are benign growths that appear pink or red in your cat’s Eustachian tube, which is located in the center of its ear.

The origin of these tumors is a mystery, although they are a known or suspected source of middle ear infections.

The typical signs, such as your cat pawing at its ear and shaking its head, will be present. However, a professional check of your cat’s ears is the only way to confirm the presence of polyps.

If you want to get rid of the growth, you’ll need to have surgery. It’s not as bad as you may think; in fact, it’s usually a short and easy process. After surgery, most cats experience temporary balance concerns, but they rapidly get better.

Fighting Injury

One of my cats has obviously been having trouble with an ear on many occasions. And upon closer investigation, you’ll notice that they’ve been scratched or bitten by another cat.

It seems that the ears of nearly every outdoor cat are nicked or perhaps gone entirely at some point. Cats are naturally competitive and territorial, thus fights are to be expected. A lot of the harm is done to their ears and cheeks.

It should be sufficient to just clean the area and give them time to recover from the minor scratches and abrasions sustained during the battle, as well as their wounded pride.

A vet visit is warranted for any wound that doesn’t show signs of improvement in a few days.

Allergies

Itching and head shaking are symptoms of an allergic response in your cat, which might be triggered by anything as simple as their food or something they come into touch with around the house.

It might be challenging to determine whether or not an allergy is the root of the problem.

But if you check inside their ear, you won’t see any of the other issues I’ve covered in this post unless they’ve been scratching at their ears a lot.

Nearly every allergic reaction I’ve ever had was brought on by eating cat food. As a first step, you might give a hypoallergenic cat food a try.

Examine the results to see whether this makes a difference in the allergy testing process.

Foreign Bodies

Outdoor cats with an inquisitive nature are at risk of having a foreign object lodged in either ear. Cats’ ears are prone to becoming stuck on things like grass, twigs, dirt, and even small bugs.

It’s not going to hurt to obtain a flashlight and have a look if your cat continues tossing its head and acting as though something is troubling it. Explore carefully without disturbing them too much by poking around inside.

Only use tweezers to remove something clearly causing the problem if you can do so without giving your cat any pain. The vet will have to be called in for anything more complicated.

Aural Hematoma

A blood filled sac can form in a cat’s earflap if a blood vessel in the ear is broken. An auditory hematoma describes such a collection of blood in the ear.

Any time a cat causes trauma to a blood vessel, the resulting auditory hematoma causes the earflap to quickly swell, hurt, and weigh a lot.

A cat with an auditory hematoma would often respond by shaking its head and rubbing or clawing at its ear repeatedly.

As a result of the swelling, the outer ear flap will be plain to observe. The ear will droop as a result of the discomfort and heat, and it will be red and inflamed.

A cat with an aural hematoma needs immediate medical attention. There has to be blood drained from the sac, which is not something you should try to do on your own.

The veterinarian will first try to reduce the swelling with a needle and syringe, but if the condition does not improve, surgery may be recommended.

Injuries

Ear injuries are a common problem for cats in the outdoors and may be the answer to our inquiry. Cats may hurt their ears just by going outside and investigating.

Scratches, even little ones that burn and itch, can be left on the skin after brushing across an abrasive surface or a thorny shrub.

Just like dogs, cats have a strong sense of territory. Do not be shocked if your cat gets into a fight if another cat enters their area. The brawl is over and there were no serious injuries.

The damage done by other cats’ scratches and bites, however, is sometimes far greater.

A cat’s body and immune system will immediately begin working to attempt to repair an ear damage. Like a scab we get after scratching an open cut, this will make their skin itch.

Your cat will continue to shake its head and scratch its ear while the wound heals because of the discomfort it is experiencing.

Examine the cat’s ear canal for problems.

Is it a little cut, or something more serious?

If it’s only a little scrape, you can probably just clean it up and let it heal on its own. However, if your cat has a wound that seems like it may take a while to heal, it is best to take it to the doctor.

They can disinfect the wound and patch it up if it needs treatment.

Oral problems

The ear issue isn’t the only reason that cat keeps shaking its head. When there’s a problem with your mouth, you could feel some pain. With this medical understanding, you can make the link between your ears, nose, and mouth.

Cats might have ear discomfort and strange head shaking due to an oral issue. Some telltale indicators can be used as a basis for a positive identification.

Some of these symptoms include excessive salivation, pawing at the mouth, foul breath, loss of appetite, and unkempt appearance.

That cat has a variety of possible motives for its head-shaking behavior besides a mite. Each type of severeness is unique.

Bring your cats in for checkups whenever the clinic’s signs indicate it’s time. Regular veterinary checkups are crucial in preventing serious health problems in cats.

Insect Bites

Despite their predatory nature, cats frequently suffer from bug bites, especially on the face and paws.

Localized reactions at the bite site include swelling, irritation, itching, rashes, and sometimes even head shaking in certain cats.

Your veterinarian may prescribe antihistamines or steroids if they believe your cat was bitten by an insect. Rarely, your cat may have an anaphylactic response that needs rapid veterinarian care.

What Should You Do If Your Cat Keeps Shaking Their Head but Don’t Have Mites?

In order to sum up the contents of this essay. If you don’t think your cat has mites but you’ve noticed that it continues shaking its head, it probably has one of the following problems:

• Having an infection in the external auditory canal
• Earache caused by an infection in the middle ear or the inner ear
• Polyps
• A bruise from a battle
• To have an allergic response
• Something that got lodged in their ear

If not, you might be able to narrow it down to one of the possibilities above. You should consult your vet unless the problem is as little as brushing off some dirt or debris or disinfecting a minor combat wound.

Your cat has to be examined thoroughly so that the best therapy can be recommended.

Conclusion

Cat keeps shaking her head but no mites are coming out, says Dr. Jane at our vet clinic.

She has been to the vet twice before and he gave her a dose of oral meds that she’s supposed to take twice daily, along with a topical ointment to treat the area around her ears.

This usually works, but sometimes cats get a reaction to the medication.

source https://catshint.com/cat-keeps-shaking-head-but-no-mites/