Cat people- help!

[Izzie]

I know this forum doesn't specialize in this, but we're such a diverse group that I'm posting this anyways. (in addition to some other cat forums)


I come to you pleading for help!

Some of you might remember Posh. She was a sweet torbie that came home with me from college 12 hours away last christmas.
Before coming home, she had been battling a mild cold and ear infections (suspected mites) for a few months. About a month before we came home, she started getting better.

When we got home and got Posh examined, she was in good health, and did indeed have mild herpes that caused her eyes to get a bit angry sometimes. Most likely caught from a couple neighboring cats at the shelter. Nothing to worry about. (note: this shelter was amazing, one of the best I've ever volunteered at in terms of care, cleanliness, and attention to detail)


Anyways. Her ear mites came back really badly within a month or so of coming here. Treated with stuff from the pet store, and the vet said I had gotten rid of it and that her ears look great. He examined her ears, and a sample from her ears under a microscope and found no mite activity. At that time, she still shook her head quite often, and really scratched at her ears.

Several months later she CONTINUES to shake her head ever now and then, and her left ear is almost always a little pink and hot. But it's perfectly clean! She scratches inside it a lot and keeps it very clean, but will protest if you rub it a little harder than usual. The right ear is perfectly fine.

These ears are pristine, save for the normal minimal wax/stuff way down in there.
Do you have ANY idea what this might be? Is there some other kind of ear infection it could be?

I'm not looking forward to spending hundreds of dollars on testing again only to find out that it isn't mites. again.