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My cat's fungal infection won't heal. Can I shave or bathe her?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 7 years and 9 months old | 7.7 lbs

Hello, my poor cat has been suffering from fungal infection. I took her to the vet and they gave me some medication I need to give it to her for 1 month, a cream and an oral medicine. Its been more than a month now and she's not getting better. It spread around her neck and i visited the vet couple of times but they're not helping. Can you please suggest on what should I do? Can I shave her fur? Or give her a shower?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Jessica Desrosiers

Answered By Jessica Desrosiers

Veterinary Technician

Published on June 9th, 2021

Unfortunately, there isn't much you can do from home, especially if medications aren't helping. I would seek out another exam in person and have the vet take a scraping of the fungal site to send to a lab for testing. This can help determine what exactly it is and the best medication to put on it to help. Medicated shampoos and oral medications can also be helpful and may need a few courses to fully resolve the issue.

I would definitely keep the affected area cleaned and trimmed/clipped so you can monitor spread and more easily get medications on the affected area. Since that spot in the photo also looks like it may be infected with bacteria (abscessed) in addition, oral antibiotics from your vet is probably another good idea.

Until you can get to the vet (which I recommend doing ASAP), keeping the area clean and dry, and keeping Zuzu from scratching at or rubbing it with an Elizabethan (cone) collar (if it doesn't rub on the spot) is best. Since fungal infections can be spread to other pets and people, washing hands, bedding, clothing, etc is also a good idea to reduce spread.
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