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Cat losing fur around eye with dry skin. Is it ringworm or infection?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed | 5 months and 11 days old | 6 lbs

HI my cat has what looks like dry skin around one eye but her eye is fine. The fur looks like it's fallen out

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Juliana, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on June 5th, 2017

I can't quite tell from the picture but based on your description one thing I would consider would be a fungal infection (ringworm). This is fairly common in kittens. Another possibility is a bacterial skin infection. I would make An appointment with your veterinarian so they can take a look at dusky's skin. There are very simple tests for ringworm if that is a concern for them (they can look at skin with a black light as a screen and can collect fur for a fungal culture) and they can prescribe medication as indicated. Good luck!

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Lauren Kennedy, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on March 4th, 2018

    It looks as if your cat has a skin infection, most commonly caused by an allergy, a skin mite (Demodex), ringworm or fleas. 

The allergy could be a due to a protein in your cat’s food or an environmental allergy like to dust, pollens, grasses, etc. 

The allergy causes your cat to itch and chew at the skin which breaks down the skin barrier. This then leads to infection. Skin infections are typically characterized by large areas of redness, crusting, flaking, and pustules. A thorough skin examination by your veterinarian should be able to determine the cause of the itch so it can be treated appropriately. Your cat will most likely need antibiotics to help clear up the infection and possibly an allergy/anti-itch medication like steroids or Atopica to give some relief while the infection clears up. A medicated shampoo may be beneficial as well. I would also recommend he be on a good flea control routinely too. 

 I hope this helps. Best of luck. Let us know if you have any additional questions.

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