Why is my cat's ear tip black or losing hair? Is it serious?

I highly doubt that you caused the thinning of hair on Kren's ear tips. I never say never, so yes, there's always the possibility that you may have exacerbated this hair loss, but the likelihood is very low. Instead, it's more likely that Kren has another issue causing this hair loss, as Dr. Howard mentioned. While this certainly isn't emergent, I do still recommend making an appointment with Kren's vet to have her ears examined. I hope that everything goes well!

It could be a bacterial/fungal skin infection or an allergic dermatitis. You could clean the area with Mal-A-Ket wipes and see if that helps. Otherwise, have your vet take a look at her to determine the cause and prescribe medications to treat.

Hello. You can watch this for a while to see if the hairloss progresses, or you begin to see any changes in the skin like crusting, scabbiness, ulcerations. Based on your picture, there really is no immediate treatment needed for this. I believe it will not progress much further than this. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

This may be sun damage, a precursor to skin cancer, a skin infection or damage due to excessive scratching. I recommend a full check up as soon as possible, in many cases removal of the ear tips and biopsy is recommended if no apparent infection is identified

This presentation could be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria but fungal infections are possible as well). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. Disinfection may be started at home with very diluted hibiscrub or betadine or salted water baths. Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any scratching (if any). Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be used to improve our service!

Poor Kitty Bear! I would be concerned that she may have ear tip vasculitis that affects the blood flow to the tips of the ears and can result in crusts and ulcerative wounds. Squamous cell carcinoma is a cancer that can affect the tips of the ears as well but it would be unusual for both ears to be affected. I would definitely recommend having your vet examine her as soon as possible to determine what might be going on. A biopsy might be recommended.

Hello, Ploppy could have multiple causes for this. It could be associated with a deficiency if vitamins. It could be associated with needing more fatty acids in the diet. Other causes could include allergies and finally, Ploppy could have a hair growth problem. The first steps would be to check her skin for other signs of allergies, then evaluate her diet. Ultimately, you may consider for aggressive interventions like a skin biopsy. Alternatively, if Ploppy is otherwise doing well, you could continue to monitor as her hair may eventually begin to regrow. If you note additional hair loss then she should be evaluated by her veterinarian. Hope this helps and best of luck.