Is my rescue cat's facial hair loss causing my ringworm infection?

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, cats can be carriers of fleas, lice and ring worm. Cats can not have any skin lesions and carry ring worm. People can be allergic to cats as well. If Curly is being treated for ring worm then you can get it. If her hair is growing back that doesn't mean she is cured. I would ask your human Dr to provide a diagnosis. Not all skin conditions human develop can be blamed on animals. I hope this helps and I wish you and Curly the best!

Hair loss/pulling out hair can be caused by bacterial, parasitic or fungal infection (like ringworm), dietary or environmental allergies or sensitivities, immune system disorders, stress, or a combination of the above. If you can safely contain and transport the feral cat, I recommend making an appointment to have the affected puppies seen by your veterinarian to help determine the cause of the hair loss/ pulling as soon as you can. The vet will likely want to look at a sample from the area (taken by a procedure known as a skin scraping) and examined under the microscope to determine what kind(s) of infection may be present and to figure out what medication is appropriate for treatment. Good luck!

This is a tricky question because a bacterial skin infection, ringworm, and skin mites can all appear very similar. The only way to tell them apart is by either treating for one of them or doing specific skin tests like a skin scrape, a skin cytology, and a fungal culture. I think it is ok that you are using the Malaseb shampoo for now. If the issue does not resolve over the course of a week or so then you may want to have your cat examined by your vet to determine the exact cause of hair loss. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.

This does not look like a natural shedding and it does look suspicious for ringworm but a cut or abrasion can sometimes be this same circular shape. As you probably know, ringworm is contagious to humans as well. Ringworm can generally be diagnosed by your veterinarian and I recommend to get your kitty checked out so that you know what you were dealing with. Best of luck and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Ringworm typically presents as lesions on the head and face. This area looks more indicative of a flea allergy or stress related licking. Cats with fleas will often develop an allergy where they start to lick and chew at the area on their lower back. This condition usually requires the cat be treated for the fleas and medication to reduce the itchiness. This could also be compulsive licking or another type of skin infection/allergy. I recommend having her seen by a veterinarian when possible for an exam and treatment. You may want to put a cone on her if she is licking the area to prevent her from further irritating it.

Unfortunately it could still be ringworm - I usually run a culture for 2 weeks. Your vet could dispense a topical miconazole (e.g Conzol) to apply to the lesion. It also could have been an injury from a wound that scabbed up and then fell off. I would err on the side of caution and keep him isolated for 1 more week. Practice good hand hygiene also to prevent you getting or spreading it if its contagious.

It would be best to bring Cata into your vet to confirm the ringworm (they can look at it under a special light to confirm it) and get a medicated shampoo or oral medication to treat it with. As ringworm is contagious to other pets and people, it is best to keep Cata isolated from other pets and to thoroughly wash hands/change clothing after handling the affected area. Keeping Cata from scratching at it with the use of an Elizabethan (cone) collar can also help prevent the spread to the rest of her body.