My cat's fur fell out when touched, not licking it. What's wrong?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be ringworm which is a fungal infection which needs to be treated and also can be contagious to humans. I highly recommend that you have her evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. Also, avoid contact with this lesion for now. Good luck!

This could be a skin infection caused by a fungus (ringworm), or bacteria or an old injury. Since ringworm is contagious to people and other pets in the house, I suggest you have this examined by your veterinarian to rule out a fungal infection. In the meantime do wash your hands after handling your kitty. Your vet will want to take a brush sample from the spot and culture it and until the culture has grown, will probably give you some medication to treat it.

From your description and Cecil’s age I’m concerned these could be ringworm lesions. Ringworm is a fungal infection that kittens often get. With just a few small areas a topical treatment is usually all that’s needed. As cats age and their immunity increases these often go away without treatment. Ringworm can spread to humans so be sure to wash your hands after petting Cecil. Usually people do not get if but it’s best to be careful. Please take him in for a skin scraping to diagnose the problem and treatment if these spread or aren’t getting better. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Cecil.

I would be really suspicious of ringworm. Although there could be other causes as well such as stick tight fleas, frost bite, infections, etc. I would encourage you to have him evaluated by your veterinarian soon. In the meantime please practice good hygiene after handling him as ringworm is contagious to people as well. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It sounds like Domino is very itchy there and he licks when you scratch him there because you are helping him. That area is typical for flea bites and pets that are allergic to fleas will react and lick off fur. Even if you can’t see a live flea, it doesn’t mean they aren’t there. I would take Domino to the vet on Tuesday for an exam and treatment for the allergic reaction. They can prescribe a flea prevention that works as products over the counter don’t. Good luck and kisses to Domino!

That hairless area could be related to a bacterial infection, a fungal infection (which could be contagious to humans) or a healing wound. I can’t tell if it is raised or not. If the area is raised, then I think you should get it checked out as certain skin cancers can look like this. If the area is nice and smooth, then I think you could monitor it and see what happens over the next two weeks. If it doesn’t go away or if it gets worse, then take him in to be seen. Of course you can always have him examined as you will likely get answers faster that way. At home make sure the area is protected from scratching or licking. Otherwise you can leave it alone but look at it daily. I hope this helps and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This could be due to a number of reasons such as allergies, a bacterial infection, mange, among many other reasons. It does sound like you think he may be feeling sick as well so I highly recommend that you have him evaluated by a veterinarian for further assessment and treatment so that he can be started on the right therapy. Best of luck!