Patch with missing fur on my cat

[Minty89]

Hi everyone ,
this morning my husband and I were giving cuddles to my cat and we noticed a patch of fur missing below her shoulder. We are pretty sure that yesterday it wasn’t there and our other 1 year old cat is his best friend so we pretty sure he hasn’t done anything to her. She is 6 and half months old and she’s been spayed 2 weeks ago. She also has been microchipped last Friday. She also is on monthly flea treatment (Advocate) and monthly deworming treatment.
I’ll attach some picture.
What do you think could be?
Thank you very much in advance!

 

[AbbysMom]

When was her last flea treatment? My cat had a similar patch after a flea treatment.

 

[stoorworm]

I think I can see a red rash circle... Ringworms would be my first guess.

Or did you apply any parasite meds to that area recently? I’m only asking because of the area. Still leaning towards ringworms.
Give your vet a call just to be on the safe side though. Good luck!

 

[Minty89]

When was her last flea treatment? My cat had a similar patch after a flea treatment.

Hi AbbysMom, her last flea treatment was in the 12 of April. So is due again very soon!!

 

[Minty89]

I think I can see a red rash circle... Ringworms would be my first guess.

Or did you apply any parasite meds to that area recently? I’m only asking because of the area. Still leaning towards ringworms.
Give your vet a call just to be on the safe side though. Good luck!

We gave her last flea treatment on the 12 of April! If it is ringworm, do I need to treat the other cat too? Can my husband and I get it from the cat?

 

[stoorworm]

M Minty89 I’m assuming it was frontline? Hair loss on the area it’s applied to seems to be a very very common side effect. Did you apply the treatment around where the alopecia is? Is there a possibility you just didn’t notice the patch until now?
But there’s still the visible circular rash with a lighter middle section. Ringworms can be treated easily with topical solutions etc too but I advise you to do a quick vet visit or maybe even a house call just to be sure about what you’re dealing with.

 

[Minty89]

M Minty89 I’m assuming it was frontline? Hair loss on the area it’s applied to seems to be a very very common side effect. Did you apply the treatment around where the alopecia is? Is there a possibility you just didn’t notice the patch until now?
But there’s still the visible circular rash with a lighter middle section. Ringworms can be treated easily with topical solutions etc too but I advise you to do a quick vet visit or maybe even a house call just to be sure about what you’re dealing with.

Hi stoorworm, we are using Advocate as flea treatment and we usually put it on the back of her neck just over the shoulder. I think last time we gave it to her it leaks towards that area but I’m not 100% sure. We already contacted the vet and we are waiting for the them to call us back to let us know when we can get her checked! Just one more thing…if it’s ringworm do we need to treat the house as well?

 

[Maruna]

It’s great you got an appointment made ASAP as if it is ringworm it can spread to other body parts quickly and cause hair loss. I recently cured a kitten with ringworm and didn’t treat the house except daily vacuuming which we did anyway. Try and limit her movement to different rooms. I hope it’s just a side effect of the flea medication as ringworm can be a bit of a lengthy process to get rid of but there are some great forums on here for treatment options! Make sure to get the cat checked with a Woods lamp at the vet which causes ringworm spots to glow. If positive, it is likely your other cat has ringworm too as it passes fast so you may need to give her medicated shampoo baths.

 

[Minty89]

It’s great you got an appointment made ASAP as if it is ringworm it can spread to other body parts quickly and cause hair loss. I recently cured a kitten with ringworm and didn’t treat the house except daily vacuuming which we did anyway. Try and limit her movement to different rooms. I hope it’s just a side effect of the flea medication as ringworm can be a bit of a lengthy process to get rid of but there are some great forums on here for treatment options! Make sure to get the cat checked with a Woods lamp at the vet which causes ringworm spots to glow. If positive, it is likely your other cat has ringworm too as it passes fast so you may need to give her medicated shampoo baths.

Hi Maruna , thank you very much for your reply! This is very helpful to know and make me feel so much better!!! We got an appointment tomorrow morning with the Vet so we will have answers tomorrow. Just one thing… could it be related to the fact that she had been microchipped last week and the microchip might have migrated? Just because yesterday before we went to be she didn’t have anything!

 

[Maruna]

One of the possible side effects of microchipping is hair loss and another is migration, however I’m not sure if migration would CAUSE hair loss at the site it has moved to. These are both uncommon reactions to microchipping so is less likely to be the reason for the hair loss but hopefully the vet can rule this out for you. Hoping your appointment tomorrow goes well, give us an update!

 

[Minty89]

One of the possible side effects of microchipping is hair loss and another is migration, however I’m not sure if migration would CAUSE hair loss at the site it has moved to. These are both uncommon reactions to microchipping so is less likely to be the reason for the hair loss but hopefully the vet can rule this out for you. Hoping your appointment tomorrow goes well, give us an update!

Hi Maruna , thank you so much for your quick reply! I hope the vet appointment goes well tomorrow as well and I will give you an update! Just wondering… is it easy for humans to catch ringworm from a cat? Do we need to do anything special?

 

[Maruna]

Yes ringworm is zoonotic so can spread to humans but is not easily treated with fungal creams like Canesten and Lamisil, however it takes much longer to get rid of in cats, usually about 6 weeks+ of a combination of treatments depending on the severity. Cats have a better immune system than kittens so can fight it better.
If she is diagnosed with ringworm, try and limit direct contact which can be difficult! To be honest, we were exactly the same with my kitty but made sure to wash hands with soap after cuddling and stroking her. No one in my household caught ringworm even though she had it pretty bad, however there is a possibility you might and kids are more prone to catching it.
Another tip if she is diagnosed with ringworm, go home and do your research before purchasing products from the vet as I originally wasted time and money on vet products that had little evidence of being effective against ringworm. I ended up emailing the vet for prescriptions of the products I needed after doing my research. It was a tiring process but doesn’t need to be!

 

[Minty89]

Yes ringworm is zoonotic so can spread to humans but is not easily treated with fungal creams like Canesten and Lamisil, however it takes much longer to get rid of in cats, usually about 6 weeks+ of a combination of treatments depending on the severity. Cats have a better immune system than kittens so can fight it better.
If she is diagnosed with ringworm, try and limit direct contact which can be difficult! To be honest, we were exactly the same with my kitty but made sure to wash hands with soap after cuddling and stroking her. No one in my household caught ringworm even though she had it pretty bad, however there is a possibility you might and kids are more prone to catching it.
Another tip if she is diagnosed with ringworm, go home and do your research before purchasing products from the vet as I originally wasted time and money on vet products that had little evidence of being effective against ringworm. I ended up emailing the vet for prescriptions of the products I needed after doing my research. It was a tiring process but doesn’t need to be!

Thank you so much Maruna ! I really appreciate your support and advice. This make me feel so much better and less stressed! I will do some research about products for ringworm if she got it. Hope everything will be okay tomorrow to the vet appointment! I will update you as soon as I can!

 

[Maruna]

Thank you so much Maruna ! I really appreciate your support and advice. This make me feel so much better and less stressed! I will do some research about products for ringworm if she got it. Hope everything will be okay tomorrow to the vet appointment! I will update you as soon as I can!

Hey M Minty89 just wondering how things went today at the vet?

 

[Minty89]

Hey M Minty89 just wondering how things went today at the vet?

Hi Maruna , sorry for the late reply!!! Everything went well to the vet today. The vet said that the dale patch was due to a small wound on the skin that got infected because she was licking it. So they gave us a cream called “Isaderm Gel” to applied to the area two times a day for 5-7days and the will review her in a week time.

 

[Maruna]

That’s great and doesn’t sound as extensive as ringworm luckily! Thanks for the update, I always like to hear the vet diagnosis. I hope your cat’s hair grows back soon

 

[Minty89]

That’s great and doesn’t sound as extensive as ringworm luckily! Thanks for the update, I always like to hear the vet diagnosis. I hope your cat’s hair grows back soon

You are more than welcome Maruna and thank you so much for your support and help. I really appreciate it.