My cat has a growing, red, irritated spot with hair loss. What is it?

Poor cat! If the wound is growing in size, it's time to go to your vet. Problems such as allergies to parasite bites, fungal infections such as ringworm, infections of the skin, abscesses/sores etc can all be potential causes which is why a vet visit is needed to determine the cause, provide treatment such as pain meds and antibiotics, etc. Until you can get to your vet, keeping the area clean and dry may help as well as preventing your cat from licking, but if he is acting ill and hiding away he is likely already painful or worsening so needs care.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your concern. What you are describing could be a wound, abscess or hot spot. It is difficult to say from the photos. I would recommend having a veterinarian examine Kiarra so that the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment recommendations can be made. She may need to be put on a course of an oral antibiotic and pain medication for treatment. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

It's difficult to compare the size of the area in the 2 pictures, but if the area is getting larger, then I would certainly recommend having your veterinarian examine Muffin. The best way for us to decide how to treat skin problems is to do some simple skin tests and examine a sample under the microscope. That will determine if there is a bacterial infection, fungal infection, yeast infection or even a parasitic infection like mites. I wish I could give you an answer by just looking at the picture, but since Bacitracin isn't working it's time for some additional testing to figure out what is going on. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

I would recommend having your vet examine Mochi to see what is going on. It looks like there is a little hair loss as well. If your other cat scratched her and some of the bacteria from the claw punctured the skin, you may not see any blood, but she may have an abscess under the skin that needs to be treated. An abscess can be red and painful, so that may be why she does not want it touched or inspected. Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi there and thank you for using Pet Coach! What you have taken a picture of on Ms. Kitty appears to be an area that is infected. What it is infected with I am unable to determine based on the pictures. However, that being said, I would recommend treating this by first shaving the hair away from the area and cleansing it with a mixture of betadine and water mixed to give a 50:50 dilution or until you get a light brown solution. You can use this to keep the area clean. I would recommend starting a spray such as Malacetic conditioning spray and spray to the affected area 2-3 times per day until resolved. If there is no improvement or it worsens, I would recommend having this examined by a veterinarian as Ms. Kitty may need a course of an antibiotic and additional topical medications. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

It doesn't look too bad in the picture. Poppy may have injured herself by rubbing her face against something in the home. I would keep an eye on it for now. if it gets bigger or appears infected (redness, swelling, warm to the touch, pus), then have her seen by a vet. I hope this helps!

It looks like she make have gotten a small wound on her head, maybe from getting swatted by another cat. Cat claws and bites tend to make wounds with small holes that seal over and trap bacteria inside. This will form a small abscess which will then rupture, which is what this appears to be to me. Keep an eye on it and keep it clean with a washcloth, warm water and a mild soap. Clean it two or three times a day and make sure to get all the soap off or it will irritate her skin. As long as it continues to improve and she is acting fine, eating and drinking, she should be fine. If it closes up again, swells, gets really red, hot, or if she starts acting sick or loses her appetite, get her in to see you vet as soon as possible as she may then need antibiotics to clear up the infection and heal.