My kitten has yellow crusty skin on paw and tail. Is it ringworm?

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.

I’m sorry your little kitten is having a problem. It is not possible to decide if this skin issue is a bacterial or fungal infection from the photo. Your kitten should see a vet ASAP in order to properly diagnose it. Due to the very young age and small size, it is important to know exactly what type of infection it is, what medication is safe and the proper dosages. The veterinarian can also give a good general exam and possibly check for intestinal parasites as the kitten appears to have a round bloated belly. Please do not attempt to treat this at home because the infection looks quite extensive. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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 and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Some cats get very stressed in the hospital and they may rub the face until the skin is damaged. However, it would be worth the check Kitty's skin for bacterial infection or ringworm as the skin should not peel off like this. Please, take Kitty back to your vet as he will likely need antibiotic / anti-fungal ointment. Your vet will probably want to examine the skin scrapes under the microscope or take a skin swab to confirm the diagnosis first.

Poor, Kiara, I hope her legs are on the mend! There are several things that could be causing the dry patches in your pictures. The most common cause in a kitten would be ringworm (a type of fungus), but there are other possibilities like mites. I recommend having Kiara rechecked by your veterinarian and discussing recommended treatments, as there are several different options. Also, know that ringworm can be passed on to humans. If you have any concerning spots, make sure to discuss with your human doctor!

Hi and thanks for posting on Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Brown crusting on the paws could be foreign material on the paws such as dirt or feces. It could also be a yeast or fungal infection. I would take Toffee to her veterinarian to have the paws looked and the brown cursing tested to rule out a bacterial or fungal infection. Both are very treatable and not too much to worry about. Hope this helps!

This looks like a ringworm infection. That is a fungal infection common in young kittens. Since it’s only a few spots your veterinarian may prescribe a topical medication. They will look at this under the microscope and may do other tests to confirm the diagnosis. People can get this so please wash your hands after handling her. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Princess.