Adult cat losing fur near eye, no ringworm. When should I see a vet?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It looks like just minor hair loss. This could be from rubbing her eyes (allergies or irritation maybe?) or if she accidentally rubbed too hard against something. If you notice hair loss in other places too, or if you develope a red area or rash, we should add ringworm to the list of possibilities. I would say, watch for a few days. If nothing else hanged and Bella still seems happy, and eating well, keep monitoring. If any new signs arise including more bald spots, it’s time to see the vet. Best of luck to you and Bella!

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.

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.

I can't quite tell from the picture but based on your description one thing I would consider would be a fungal infection (ringworm). This is fairly common in kittens. Another possibility is a bacterial skin infection. I would make An appointment with your veterinarian so they can take a look at dusky's skin. There are very simple tests for ringworm if that is a concern for them (they can look at skin with a black light as a screen and can collect fur for a fungal culture) and they can prescribe medication as indicated. Good luck!

Hi and thank you for your post.! It is hard to see and make out the detailing the pictures- there is a flash there. However, hair loss around an eye in cats may be suspicious to fungal infection (ringworm) which typically occurs around the face. A veterinarian can diagnosis this with a fungal culture. Sunshine may need to be on an anti fungal mediation if this is the diagnosis by your veterinarian. Best to you and Sunshine! Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

I would get this seen by your vet to be on the safe side. It may be a healing scab but it looks a little suspicious of ringworm, and that can be easily spread to other pets and people in your household. Another possibility is an allergy to plastic if they have plastic bowls for food or water, but those lesions tend to be located on the chin and lips, not to one side. Your vet will do an exam, probably pluck some hairs from that spot for a fungal culture and may examine some of the cells under a microscope to see if they can identify the cause. Based n these results they should be better able to tell you why this happened and how best to treat it.

I would recommend a vet visit. There is a possibility that this could be ringworm which is a contagious fungal infection. It may just be a scratch or abrasion but the vet can look at it and determine if further testing or treatment is needed.