Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!
Become a member today!
Members-only pricing and offers, personalized care notifications, Vital Care points back on every purchase and more!
Already a member? Sign in
Become a credit card member today!
Earn 2X Pals Rewards points at Petco
when you use Petco Pay!
APPLY NOW
Learn More About Petco Pay Benefits

My cat's losing fur, has red scabs on her back. Is it ringworm?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 7 years old | 10 lbs

My cat is losing fur and her skin is red with scabs on her lower back. She's also twitches in the area. I've been told it's possibly ringworm. I would appreciate any help.

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Dr. Paula Simons

Veterinarian

Published on May 11th, 2017

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.

16Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Megan, DVM, CVA
Veterinarian
Published on January 9th, 2018
Poor Gitch! It is difficult to say for sure from just a picture whether or not this is ringworm. Unfortunately, local bacterial infections and hot spots can look very similar. Ringworm is usually crusty and raise along the edges. If it looks like that, you could try an anti-fungal cream on it twice a day to see if it improves. You may need to place a cone collar on her to prevent her from licking. If she has multiple lesions or it isn't improving, I would have your vet take a look at it. Your vet will be able to see whether or not it is actually ringworm and whether she needs oral anti-fungals, antibiotics or stronger allergy medicine. In the meantime, you can give her benadryl twice a day to help control the itching. See link below. Also, make sure you wash your hands thoroughly after handling her as ringworm in cats is contagious to humans. I hope this helps!

https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/cat /benadryl
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Megan, DVM, CVA
Veterinarian
Published on January 7th, 2018
Poor Taba! These look like severe hotspots which are ulcerated area caused from excessive scratching. She likely is having a bad reaction to fleas, allergies, or it could have just been a small wound that has progressed due to her messing with them. This could also be secondary to mange. It doesn’t look like typical ringworm which is usually really crusty. I would put a little neosporin on those areas and if she will let you, put a cone collar on her to prevent her from licking/scratching those areas. I would also try to confine her to an area so the cone collar doesn’t get hung up somewhere and so the wounds stay clean. I would not use hydrogen peroxide again as it will slow healing if used continuously. You can try giving her Benadryl to help reduce the itching. See link below. Your vet will be able to get her a steroid shot and antibiotics to help these area heal. Your vet will also be able to look for the cause and see if she needs to be on a high quality flea preventative or other long term allergy meds. I hope this helps and she starts to feel better soon!

https://www.petcoach.co/canigive/cat/benadryl/
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Elizabeth
Veterinarian
Published on July 18th, 2019
Shima could have a condition called ringworm which can spread to humans. There could also be something like an abscess beginning to form or she could have somehow injured that area. I do recommend to have her examined by the veterinarian as soon as you can get her there. Otherwise you do need to prevent her from licking the area since this will make it worse. Have her wear an Elizabethan collar at all times. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Related Questions

Health & Wellness

My 10-year-old cat has red, moist spots on her face and neck.

Hello, sorry to hear about your cat. Those do not definitely look like your typical ringworm lesions. They look like your cat has been scratching at them often and likely developed a hot-spot from this. It can be associated with allergies or fleas and will require some medications to control the itchiness and local infection. Finally, your veterinarian may opt to obtain a hair culture to completely rule out the possibility of ringworm. Hope this helps and best of luck.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

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

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.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My cat has red scabby spots and bald areas. Is it ringworm or mites?

It is hard to say for sure, but based on your description these red scabby areas could be either a ringworm infection (itchy) or mites (not itchy). Your local veterinarian can do a simple skin scrape test + fungal culture to determine the underlying cause for sure, so that the appropriate treatment is recommended to resolve these reddish bald areas on Snappy's skin. You also have the option of sharing pictures of these suspicious areas via private consultation through Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with any expert, if you need further advice.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Why is my cat's neck rash red, itchy, flaky, and scabby after kittens?

These areas on the skin look very suspicious of a ringworm infection or bacterial infection. Ms Pussington needs to be seen by a vet to get this looked at and treated. This won't respond to any at home treatment unfortunately. I would recommend scheduling an appt soon for her. In the meantime you can try cleaning the area with Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water to provide a topical antiseptic clean. Nothing else should be placed on these wounds. She will likely need a skin scrape/cytology to identify the underlying pathogen and then treatment based on what the cause is. I hope she feels better soon.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

My kitten has a pink scab, hair loss under jaw. What's wrong?

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.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My cat keeps losing fur on its neck. What could be the cause?

[Hair loss](https://www.petcoach.co/article/causes-of-hair-loss-alopecia-in-cats/) can be caused by allergies or infection of the skin, and in severe cases by metabolic issues. Chronic stress or excessive licking of an area can also lead to hair loss in just one particular place. Preventing your cat from licking and chewing at the area with the use of a T-shirt or Elizabethan collar (cone) may help. Examine the area for redness,parasites, bleeding, bruising or discharge. If you see a target-like or red "ring" of irritation, it may indicate a fungal infection called [ringworm](https://www.petcoach.co/cat/condition/ringworm/), which can be easily spread to other people and pets so should be handled carefully. If you do see anything suspicious, consider an exam with your veterinarian for a definitive diagnosis and treatment. Hair regrowth may take a few months depending on how much hair is lost as well as the underlying cause.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

Is my cat's red spot on her head ringworm or something else?

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Harlow. I recommend that she sees her veterinarian. Was she treated when the other cat had ringworm a few months ago? The standard recommendation is to treat all pets in the home. If so, it is less likely that that is the current problem. She appears to have a small scab. This can represent a wound from scratching her ears as well. I will see this in cats with an ear infection. The veterinarian will examine her and determine how best to treat. I hope this information helps!

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Share