What are these spreading skin wounds on my cat? Are they contagious?

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! These could be due to ringworm. This could also be just a focal skin bacterial infection or traumatic lesions, among other possibilities. I recommend that you have Simsim evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for these possibilities and treat accordingly. Ringworm can be transmitted to humans so just in case this is what is going with Simsim wear gloves when handling these lesions. Good luck and best wishes!

These lesions look suspicious of scabies mites, ringworm and/or this could be a result of a current ear infection (ear mites) and fleas. Neither of these conditions can be properly diagnosed and treated without the help of your veterinarian unfortunately. I would try to take at least 1 cat in to the vet to have a skin scrape and ear exam + ear cytology (if debris is seen inside the ear canal) to try and confirm the diagnosis so that we know how to best help your pets. I am highly suspicious that this is a contagious skin disease however because multiple pets have skin problems at the same time. Poor cats. Here is a website link for financial help if needed http://m.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/trouble_affording_veterinary_care.html I hope that Muming and your other cats get their skin problems resolved soon. The vet should know just what they need after the necessary preliminary testing is done. Best wishes and take care.

Hello and thank you for your questions about Dark and Takuma. The main things I would be concerned with are ringworm, mites and bacteria. Ringworm is a fungus that is contagious to humans and other animals. It spreads by spores being attached to shedding hair. Environmental cleanup is a huge component and I would recommend to isolate the cats to one area of the house and clean all the areas they have been around. Normal vacuuming, sweeping and mopping with a routine cleaning product should be fine. I don’t generally recommend at home treatments as it can be ineffective and ingestion could be toxic. I would recommend to take them to your local veterinarian who will likely recommend a regiment of medicated dips that are safe for cats or possibly oral treatment. Bacteria and mites are not generally contagious to humans but you should use normal hygiene practices when touching those areas. Mites require special treatment with topical medication and the bacteria may require antibiotics. Since both cats have it, I would recommend to take them to the vet sooner rather than later! I hope this helps!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The pictures are good but it's still tough to see what is going on. Hair loss with dry/flaky skin is often indicative of ringworm especially in kittens. This is highly contagious to other animals and to people making it a zoonotic disease. I would definitely have a vet evaluate the litter and start treatment for a fungal infection right away to prevent this from getting worse. I would quarantine the litter away from all other pets and humans especially young children and the elderly since they are most likely to get infected. Even the shed hairs can contain fungal spores so direct contact with the animals is not required to get infected. It could be something else but in the pictures it is highly suspect since it looks like the paws and tail are affected. Other possibilities include mites, bacteria, external parasites (fleas, etc), dietary problems, intestinal parasite problems, among other things. Your vet can evaluate them and advise a woods lamp exam, skin scrape, fungal culture, hair analysis, etc to determine what is going on. The ears could be infected with ear mites and they could evaluate those also. Eye problems in young kittens are often due to viruses which infect the eyes and cause upper respiratory infections. These are contagious also along with the ear mites to other cats and dogs. Your vet can evaluate everything that is going on a make a plan to solve the puzzle. They can advise a sound treatment plan in addition to guiding you in preventive health care items including deworming, vaccines, flea/tick products, etc. Good luck and I hope it's not ringworm.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Yes, cats can be carriers of fleas, lice and ring worm. Cats can not have any skin lesions and carry ring worm. People can be allergic to cats as well. If Curly is being treated for ring worm then you can get it. If her hair is growing back that doesn't mean she is cured. I would ask your human Dr to provide a diagnosis. Not all skin conditions human develop can be blamed on animals. I hope this helps and I wish you and Curly the best!

The picture is not very clear, but I see some crustiness and possibly some hair loss. I worry about ringworm (a skin fungus) with that type of lesion, because this is also a very common location for ringworm in kittens. It could also be some other infection or due to a scratch or bite. It is not normal though and to determine the cause, you would have to bring her into the vet for an exam. They can take a sample (if needed) and look at it under the microscope to find out what it is. For now, it's best to consider it contagious, because ringworm can be transmitted from cats to people. This is usually self-limiting (will go away on its own), but may need treatment if you start to see more lesions. You can wash it once a day with medicated shampoo labeled for cats (can be found at the pet store). This will help if it is an infection.

Hello! Thank you for using PetCoach! Cute kitten! It is very difficult to say what something is just by looking at a photo. Many skin diseases will often look similar in presentation. I can tell you that my first suspicion is ringworm. Ringworm is by far and away the number one skin disease of kittens. I suggest you get Aniko to your vet for an exam and some testing. Ringworm is contagious to people so you don't want to leave it untreated. it is also highly contagious to other animals. Here is a link to an article about ringworm in cats. Hope this helps. Best wishes. https://www.cat-world.com.au/ringworm-in-cats.html