Why won't my cat's neck scab with hair loss heal? Is it serious?

From the picture I can only say this may be due to a trauma or localized spot of skin infection (likely to be caused by bacteria or fungal). A check up, appropriate disinfection and possibly antibiotics or antifungal meds (oral, topical or in a shampoo formulation) are needed to solve the problem. More investigations like sampling and bacterial swabs would be needed to determine the underlying cause more specifically. In my experience I have seen large wounds like this one from Poxvirus infection (but usually other wounds are present as well). I would suggest to handle this wound always with gloves (you are doing it anyway as I can see from the pic). Buster collar may be useful as well to avoid any licking. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further.

She could have a foreign body or infecion in that area that won't properly heal. I would have your vet look at it to ensure she doesn't need some antibiotics or even a culture of the area to ensure it isn't a resistant infection. Finally, if it won't heal, she may need that area surgically removed as I have had a similar case where we surgically removed it and sent the tissue to the lab and there a piece of grass was embedded in that tissue. I hope this helps.

This is quite normal and in rare cases the area of hardened skin may indeed fall off and the skin heal from underneath. Applying ointments to cats is rarely recommended as they will groom and swallow much of it. If it is causing pain you should contact your vet for a recheck, often removing the damaged painful area is best

Hi there. In that area there are a few things that could be playing a role in that wound. Feline acne is common under the chin, a tooth root abscess, and on white cats I also worry about skin cancer. I would highly encourage you to have her evaluated by your veterinarian as soon as possible. Best of luck and I hope she improves soon. Thank you for using Pet Coach.

Unfortunately I can't tell from the photo is that is a bite or something like miliary dermatitis: https://www.petcoach.co/article/feline-miliary-dermatitis-in-cats/ I recommend to have Chubbs examined by the veterinarian and to protect the area from any scratching by having her wear an elizabethan collar at all times. I hope she heals quickly.

Have you put any medicine on that area such as flea prevention before it was noticed? Sometimes that is a sign of a reaction from a topical. Another area to check is his ears, sometimes they can scratch their neck instead and. Cause a wound if there is an infection or mites. If it doesn't improve then your vet can check for an infection or an allergy that could cause it

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. Judging from the picture, this could be a ruptured abscess or secondary to self trauma from him scratching at the area. I would recommend having him examined by a veterinarian so that the most appropriate treatment recommendations can be made. He will need the hair clipped from around the wound and the wound cleaned. I would also recommend an antibiotic and anti-inflammatory. I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.