My cat is losing fur on her side. Could it be ringworm? Is it urgent?

That could be a ringworm patch on Tinsel. Unfortunately without seeing her in person, I can't say for certain. Don't touch it, as ringworm is highly contagious to humans as well. Have her seen by a vet on Monday who can confirm if she has ringworm and can prescribe an oral anti-fungal medication. If she does has ringworm, you will have to disinfect your home because the spores can live in it up to 18 months. I will put a link below on how to do this. I hope this helps! http://www.livestrong.com/article/49666-rid-home-ringworm/

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.

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.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Lorelai. I am glad that she has an appointment to see her veterinarian. As long as she is eating, drinking and acting like herself, then it should be fine to wait until Thursday. Her veterinarian will thoroughly examine her and may recommend skin testing to determine the source of her lesions. A fungal culture is used to check for ringworm and skin scrapes tests for the presence of mites. Allergies are most common this time of year though. Sometimes bloodwork is necessary as well. I hope this information helps and you can get her back to normal soon!

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.

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 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.