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My kitten has a rash with dry patches and fur loss. What is it?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | unneutered | 3 months and 29 days old | 2 lbs

I have a young male cat Named Alphenix aprx. 12-15 Weeks in age. Recently he has started to develop a what i would call a rash. Originating on his face progressing over his head and Starting to form on his shoulder. They appear as dry patches and then the fur falls out leavin just the dry patch of skin. I need to know what this is and how to treat it before it gets worse. The pics included are after we applied tripple antibiotic ointment.

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident

Published on July 30th, 2019

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is possibly due to allergies. It really comes down to figuring out what is causing his allergies so that they can be treated or the specific allergen avoided. A secondary infection is likely and also needs to be addressed. This could also be mites and an exam and basic cytology would be needed to determine if that is possible. That is something that requires a visit to a veterinarian. There are many things that can cause allergies though in most cases they can be broken down into 3 big categories: flea, food and environmental allergies. Allergies are usually worked up in a stepwise fashion starting with flea allergies as this is the easiest and cheapest to take care of. If not on a flea preventative, then it would be a good idea to get started on one. If already on one then it would be a good idea to change to something else (there are many new products out in the market). If not improved in 1-3 months then it is time to move on and check for food allergies by switching to a novel diet (new protein and new carbohydrate). If that does not seem to be the issue then you are left out having to check for environmental allergies which require blood and/or skin tests. Allergies can be very frustrating to deal with at first but so rewarding at the end when we are able to treat them effectively!

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Other Answers

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    Answered By David Elbeze, DVM, MRCVS

    Veterinarian

    Published on August 24th, 2017

    This is probably caused by an allergic reaction, fleas or mites. first of all make sure you de-flea Mortimer 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. it could also be mite infestation. this is more complicated to treat and will sometimes require medications such as Steroids, anti histamines or anti mite meds in order to resolve the issue.

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