Red sores in front of cat's ear.

Hi Dr. Haynes

Thank you for offering this service and reviewing my question. My 10-year-old long hair tabby has a slight history of allergies. He is an indoor cat that weighs 14.5 lbs. When he was a kitten, he would rub his temple until the fur wore away. My vet at the time gave something to treat it, although that memory is long lost to me now nearly 10 years later. The problem appears to have resurfaced, hence my contacting you.

I'm writing to you because my cat has rubbed and scratched the area right in front of his ear so often lately that scabs have formed and his fur has worn away. As a side note, he also did this to the other ear, but it healed and is fine now. He doesn't seem to be rubbing / scratching insistently; however, he does it often enough (let's say once every other day) to open up his scabs on the affected ear. He has no other places on his body that are irritated in the least. Everyday, he has a little bit of eye discharge, that I clean. Since the scabs seemed to have worsened, I changed his litter to a "crystal" type in the event the gravel dust was irritating him, and I also switched him to Science Diet sensitive skin formula. He was eating Evo, Royal Canin, and grain-free types.

I took him to the vet last week to ensure he didn't have ear mites or something of that nature. They gave him a clean bill of health but with a steroid shot in the hopes that his allergies and desire to scratch may subside. He also received some sort o antibiotic shot. However, much is the same here, and he is only aggravating the scabs by scratching and reopening them. I feel so terrible for him, although he acts as this doesn't hurt or bother him. He may be a little more stand-offish than usual. He is a very scared and defensive cat when taken to the vet, and I am hesitant to take him back when not much has changed. They are asking that I return, but it is so traumatic for him that I am reconsidering that move. Upon his last vet visit, his scabs began bleeding even in lack of his rubbing them; I assume his blood pressure was very high due to the stress and fear he was experiencing at the vet's office. I wanted to ask you a few things:

1) Is there any medication on the market that may help him? I realize you cannot prescribe, so I am only requesting advice.
2) Are there any triple antibiotics that may accelerate the healing process other than Neosporin cream?
3) At what point does he need an Elizabethan collar? I am so resistant to this, but I want him well. I have ordered a soft cone in the event I must use one. He has never worn any collar of any variety, and I predict he will not like this at all.
4) Have you any other advice, questions, and/or recommendations that may alleviate his situation?

I also emailed a photo - Albeit out of focus, it's the best I could do for the moment. Thank you in advance for your help.

Thanks
Victoria