Why is my cat scratching red, balding skin between her eyes and ears?

While it is hard to say exactly what the cause of Bella's hair loss may be due to without examining Bella first, I can offer some possibilities and next steps. Some possibilities may include a fungal infection, bacterial infection, mites, a food or environmental allergy, or evidence of an underlying endocrine disorder such as a thyroid problem. Your veterinarian can diagnose these potential conditions with a fungal culture, skin scraping, and some blood work. I would recommend Bella visit her vet soon to have the possibilities above ruled out so she can get the most appropriate treatment.

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!

I agree that is considerable alopecia. I would take her in to your vet and have her skin tested for a possible Demodexx mites issue. If she is scratching these areas a lot then a fle allergy or atopic dermatitis have to be considered and treated. I hope that you get to the bottom of Brownies hair loss soon. The treatment she needs is entirely dependent on the underlying cause. Best wishes moving forward with her care.

Cats normally have thin hair in the areas in front of the ears. I see no redness or scabbing so I think this is normal. ( https://www.petcoach.co/article/facial-alopecia-thin-hair-above-eye-in-cats/ )

Those spots on Bella could be several things including fleas, allergies, skin mites, bacterial infection, ringworm (which humans can get) or endocrine disease. There are a couple things you can do at home and they can help but they may not address the underlying cause. You can try adding in an omega 3 fatty acid supplement for cats, this can help improve the skin health. You may also try changing her diet to something like Royal Canin or Nutro as they are aimed at skin health. You can wash the lesions once a day with a hypoallergenic baby wipe (not her whole body, just the lesions). Also protect the area from trauma by having your kitty wear an elizabethan collar at all times. You can also treat her for fleas. The only OTC I recommend is Frontline. If the lesions do not start improving within a week or if they are getting worse, have her examined by the veterinarian. I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Thank you for including pictures of Bella's ear! It is certainly possible that it is ringworm, but she could also have an infection or an injury causing this redness. For now, I would leave it be and not touch it, and have her seen by a vet on Monday for it. The vet can use a Wood's lamp and do a fungal culture to diagnose if it is ringworm, and can prescribe treatment for it. I would keep Bella isolated from other animals in your home for now just in case she does have ringworm. Ringworm is highly contagious to other animals and humans, and I would wash your hands thoroughly after each time you touch her. The concern is that the Microsporum canis (fungal organism causing ringworm) is spread diffusely throughout a cat's entire hair coat, so you need to make sure to practice good hygiene to try to keep from getting it yourself. Should Bella have ringworm, you will need to disinfect the home as spores can live up to 10 months in the environment. I will put a link below on how to do that. Please have her seen by a vet on Monday, I hope this helps! http://www.livestrong.com/article/49666-rid-home-ringworm/

I am sorry to hear about your kitty! The two most common causes for lesions/irritation in this region would be an ear issue (the cat is traumatizing the skin while trying to get to the ear) such as infection, mites, or foreign body within the ear; or allergies (we can have allergies to foods or environmental allergies like pollen, dust). I would recommend bringing your kitty into the vet so they can look down into the ears with an otoscope to check for abnormalities. Dependingon their findings they can prescribe medication to help treat this issue.