Cat losing fur around eye with dry skin. Is it ringworm or infection?

The hairloss area beneath the eye could certainly be a dermatophyte (ringworm) lesion, but it is also possible that it could be due to excessive tearing/discharge from the eyes that is resulting in irritation in the area. This could also be contributing to the nasal crusting. Upper respiratory infections (URI) are common in young kittens and can cause ocular (eye) discharge and nasal discharge, with intermittent sneezing and/or coughing. Ringworm lesions are typically itchy but not always. Be on the lookout for any additional hairless or crusting lesions to appear elsewhere on the body, and also if any similar lesions appear on any humans in contact with Rayder, as ringworm is highly contagious. It would be best to have him visit his veterinarian for a thorough physical examination to rule-out a potential URI and perform a dermatophyte culture if indicated.

The symptoms you have described do not fit with a fungal infection like ringworm. The skin appears unkempt all over. Jessy may have light sensitivity, which can happen with a number of diseases, such as tick-borne disease, autoimmune diseases, kidney disease, etc. I am so sorry, but without being able to examine Jessy and run blood work, I am not sure how to help you. Some of these diseases benefit from steroids, but in some cases, steroids could make things worse. He really needs to be evaluated by a vet.

Persian kittens are very prone to ringworm, a fungal infection. I suggest you take Lily to your veterinarian for a skin exam. She is due for vaccinations anyway so show the skin lesion to your vet. Your vet will want to look at the lesion with a black light and/or do a brush test and try to grow the fungus as a diagnostic to determine if it is indeed a fungal infection. As long there is no definitive diagnosis, please make sure you wash your hands after petting your cat, as ringworm is contagious to people.

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The pictures are good but it's still tough to see what is going on. Hair loss with dry/flaky skin is often indicative of ringworm especially in kittens. This is highly contagious to other animals and to people making it a zoonotic disease. I would definitely have a vet evaluate the litter and start treatment for a fungal infection right away to prevent this from getting worse. I would quarantine the litter away from all other pets and humans especially young children and the elderly since they are most likely to get infected. Even the shed hairs can contain fungal spores so direct contact with the animals is not required to get infected. It could be something else but in the pictures it is highly suspect since it looks like the paws and tail are affected. Other possibilities include mites, bacteria, external parasites (fleas, etc), dietary problems, intestinal parasite problems, among other things. Your vet can evaluate them and advise a woods lamp exam, skin scrape, fungal culture, hair analysis, etc to determine what is going on. The ears could be infected with ear mites and they could evaluate those also. Eye problems in young kittens are often due to viruses which infect the eyes and cause upper respiratory infections. These are contagious also along with the ear mites to other cats and dogs. Your vet can evaluate everything that is going on a make a plan to solve the puzzle. They can advise a sound treatment plan in addition to guiding you in preventive health care items including deworming, vaccines, flea/tick products, etc. Good luck and I hope it's not ringworm.

I’m sorry to hear about Onyx! This looks like it could be irritation from rubbing/scratching at the eye, a skin infection, mites, ringworm, or a hypersensitivity reaction (often to fleas, mosquitos, etc). If you have an E-collar, put that on so he can’t continue to scratch at it. Then book the next available appointment with your vet to help determine what is most likely the cause. Best of luck to you and Onyx!

This looks like a ringworm infection. Kittens do get ringworm especially if they have been sick. You should take her to your veterinarian for a diagnosis and treatment. This isn’t an emergency though so you can wait until next week. This can spread to people so please wash your hands after handling her. With treatment and as she grows up and becomes healthier it will clear up fairly quickly. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Onyx.

This area doesn't look terribly suspicious of ringworm. It could have just been a scab that was there that fell off and took the hair with it. If you are really concerned though it is best to have your vet take a closer look at the area. THe hair needs to be parted and then the skin palpated to confirm if this was just a scab or if there is evidence on the skin of a possible infection (bacterial or fungal). I hope that things work out well for your pet Cam moving forward. Take care.