What causes hair loss and red, rough skin on a pregnant cat's neck?

The hair loss may be hormone related or it could be from infection in the ear (bacterial, fungal or mites). This can result in itching which may have caused hair loss. You can place an e-collar (cone) on her to prevent further scratching and have her examined by your veterinarian. A swab of the ear can be examined in the clinic to diagnose ear infection. Afterwards, the appropriate treatment can be administered.

Hi, and thanks for your question. This could be due to an allergy, although it could also be infection or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat with a high quality flea treatment, then ask the vet to perform a skin scrape - this might reveal an infection or a mite infestation. If all of those came back negative, the next step is to treat the allergy symptomatically and try to discover the cause of the allergy. Three main type of allergies are usually affecting pets: food allergies, flea and parasite related ones and environmental type (allergens coming from trees, pollens, dust etc etc). Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair any possible skin lesions (like steroids and antibiotics). 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. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

[Hair loss](https://www.petcoach.co/article/causes-of-hair-loss-alopecia-in-cats/) can be caused by allergies or infection of the skin, and in severe cases by metabolic issues. Chronic stress or excessive licking of an area can also lead to hair loss in just one particular place. Preventing your cat from licking and chewing at the area with the use of a T-shirt or Elizabethan collar (cone) may help. Examine the area for redness,parasites, bleeding, bruising or discharge. If you see a target-like or red "ring" of irritation, it may indicate a fungal infection called [ringworm](https://www.petcoach.co/cat/condition/ringworm/), which can be easily spread to other people and pets so should be handled carefully. If you do see anything suspicious, consider an exam with your veterinarian for a definitive diagnosis and treatment. Hair regrowth may take a few months depending on how much hair is lost as well as the underlying cause.

Hair loss is that area could be a few things. If you are using a topical flea medication and applying it there, that could be the cause. Cats can also get skin mites, allergies or ringworm (which humans can get), or an injury. Could the dried blood be from her scratching with her hind paw? From the photos, I don't appreciate any hair loss around the ears. Minor wounds can often heal on their own. Monitor the lesion closely, if it doesn't begin healing within a week or if it starts looking worse, have her examined by the veterinarian. Also make sure she is not scratching at the area. Best of luck.

It is hard to see clearly the extent of this lesion as the photo is a bit blurry. It definitely looks like an infected skin lesion....whether it started as a ruptured abscess, a traumatic wound or other...I cannot say for sure. This should be seen by your veterinarian as soon as possible for proper treatment which should include a prescription antibiotic and wound cleaning. If it needs surgical debrisement, make sure the doctor is aware of the pregnancy. Hopefully it can just be cleaned without any sedation, but medication is going to be needed to treat the infection. There are numerous antibiotics that are safe for pregnant cats.

These areas on the skin look very suspicious of a ringworm infection or bacterial infection. Ms Pussington needs to be seen by a vet to get this looked at and treated. This won't respond to any at home treatment unfortunately. I would recommend scheduling an appt soon for her. In the meantime you can try cleaning the area with Betadine diluted 50:50 with warm water to provide a topical antiseptic clean. Nothing else should be placed on these wounds. She will likely need a skin scrape/cytology to identify the underlying pathogen and then treatment based on what the cause is. I hope she feels better soon.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Skin lesions like you are describing can have a variety of causes, including skin parasites (fleas or mites), an infection (bacterial or fungal), allergies, or another underlying medical issue. I would recommend he be evaluated by his regular veterinarian to determine the underlying cause for his skin lesions, so he could start any treatment (antibiotics, anti-itch medications, parasiticide) that he may need. In the meantime, I would clean the area will diluted betadine if possible and then keep it dry, and trim his nails back as much as possible to keep him from scratching at it. Good luck!