Why does my cat have brown spots, bald patches, and cuts on its skin?

The most likely cause for water to turn red brown when rinsing off an animal is due to the presence of fleas. Flea poop, also known as flea dirt, turns red brown when it gets wet. Some cats may have an allergic reaction to flea bites causing severe scabbing or crusting of their skin and thinning hair. Given the severity of what you're describing, I would recommend that you have Lucky seen by your veterinarian. Left untreated, flea infestations can cause severe anemia. Your veterinarian may recommend checking Lucky's red blood cell level for anemia. They can also recommend flea treatments for Lucky and for your home to help solve the problem. Please keep in mind that many over-the-counter flea treatments are not safe for cats. Please make sure to read all packaging carefully.

Poor Freckle! Without seeing a photo or completing a physical exam, it’s hard to know why this is happening. Pets can get red marks on the skin due to flea bites, environmental allergy, food allergy, contact allergy or hyperthyroidism. Red marks could also indicate bruising which is much more serious and significant. Bruising indicates platelet abnormalities and this can be fatal without treatment. Since you are noticing the issue is so widespread, I recommend to have him examined by his veterinarian today ideally. It’s always best to play it safe. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

It sounds like Zoey may have a skin infection. This could be bacterial, fungal, or a combination of the two. It is possible that something such as food allergies or environmental allergies may have predisposed her to the infection. I would highly encourage you to have her evaluated by your veterinarian as soon as possible. Best of luck and I hope she improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

From what I can make out in the photos this doesnt loom like a parasite infection, it actually looks like the mixture of skincells and sebum that animals shed from the top layer of their skin. It is a little like black heads in people. This 'scuff' is nothing to eorry about in itself, as long as the skin is healthy I wouldnt worry. If it annoys you you could yry giving her a skin supplement or bathing her in a shampoo for sensitive skin. I hope this helps.

I am sorry to hear about Jack! I would be concerned these could be a bacterial or fungal infection of the skin, and possibly a condition in cats called eosinophilic plaques or eosinophilic granuloma syndrome, which can be incited due to an allergy and usually resolves with steroid treatment. I would recommend bringing Jack in to his vet for an examination of the area.

While it is hard to say exactly what the cause of Bella's hair loss may be due to without examining Bella first, I can offer some possibilities and next steps. Some possibilities may include a fungal infection, bacterial infection, mites, a food or environmental allergy, or evidence of an underlying endocrine disorder such as a thyroid problem. Your veterinarian can diagnose these potential conditions with a fungal culture, skin scraping, and some blood work. I would recommend Bella visit her vet soon to have the possibilities above ruled out so she can get the most appropriate treatment.

Thank you for the pictures, they are very helpful. I see what you mean about the bald spot and black spots. The black spots could be due to flea dirt, and scratching the area could cause the bald spot. Fleas don't live on the cat, they actually live in the environment. They just jump on the cat to feed and then jump off, so he could have fleas even if you don't see any. Make sure he is up to date on his flea treatments if he's not. Should he be up to date on his flea treatments, then this could be due to an injury (the black spots could be dirt), or an infection of the skin. In this case, you have two options. You could take him into the vet to get it examined and diagnosed, or you could watch it. Should you chose to watch it, take him into the vet if it gets bigger, appears infected, or starts to bother him. I don't think any immediate treatment is needed should you chose to watch the area. I hope this helps!