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My cat's neck is red, irritated, and losing hair. What's wrong?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Siamese | Female | spayed | 2 years and 5 months old | 7.3 lbs

My cats neck is all red and irritated in the are she already had hair loss/alopecia . Is this just irritation or a new food allergy ?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

Veterinarian

Published on February 28th, 2017

It could be that Claire is suffering from allergies, but this could also be due to fleas, mites, or ringworm. If she isn't up to date on her flea treatment, she will need a spot on treatment such as Advantage or Revolution. You will need to disinfect the environment as well. If she is up to date on her flea treatment, I recommend taking her into the vet for an exam tomorrow. The vet can do blood tests, skin scrapings, and use a Wood's lamp to diagnose allergies, mites, and ringworm. Once the cause of the redness and irriation is found, the vet can prescribe the appropriate treatment. Another cause could be a skin infection, due to bacteria or yeast. While at the vet, they can examine her for this possible cause, and can discuss treatment options with you.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on February 20th, 2017

    This is probably caused by an allergic reaction. first of all make sure you de-flea Brûlée |regularly every month with a high quality spot on (ex. Advantage) as fleas are by far the most common reason for these reactions. If the fleas are not the problem, it could be an allergic reaction to food or an environmental factor. this is more complicated to treat and will sometimes require medications such as Steroids, anti histamines or cyclosporin in order to stop the allergy.

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