Is my cat's damaged fur a sign of illness or a medical issue?

It sounds like he should be examined by a vet to determine the cause. Your vet can run labwork, if needed, to help diagnose and then determine the best way to treat. He could have an infection, parasite, metabolic/endocrine disease, etc.

This could be a skin infection caused by a fungus (ringworm), or bacteria or an old injury. Since ringworm is contagious to people and other pets in the house, I suggest you have this examined by your veterinarian to rule out a fungal infection. In the meantime do wash your hands after handling your kitty. Your vet will want to take a brush sample from the spot and culture it and until the culture has grown, will probably give you some medication to treat it.

This is probably due to a severe allergy, although it could also be fleas, fungus or mites. First of all, in order to rule out skin parasites, you will need to treat him with a high quality flea treatment (e.g. advocate or advantage), then get him to 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 discovering the cause of the allergy. Some medications can be given by the vet in order to repair the skin lesions (steroids and antibiotics). simultaneously you should start him on a prescription hypoallergenic diet for at least 2 months. Hopefully you will see some results after all this, if not you and your vet should consider putting him on a long term allergy treatment (Atopica).

I would recommend that you have Mani checked out by a vet. Some types of infections can be very itchy, but from the pictures I would be more concerned about allergies, fleas, mites, ringworm, etc. All of which can also get a secondary bacterial infection. I can't think of a specific disease that fits what your other cat died of, but cancer or severe autoimmune or inflammatory conditions come to mind. A vet will be able to examine Mani and may collect a few samples for microscopic examination to make a diagnosis.

This could be due to a parasitic (lice or mites), fungal (ringworm) or a bacterial infection. Unfortunately, without testing (skin scrape and cytology), there is not way to give a definitive diagnosis or to recommend what treatment would be best. While antifungal and antibacterial shampoos can sometimes be helpful, some infections are more serious and require oral medications to resolve.

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. If this answer was helpful please let us know, this will be

Oh no, poor Fifi! It could be the food if it's not a high quality food, but it could also be due to fleas, mites, ringworm, or allergies. 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 today or 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 hair loss is found, the vet can prescribe the appropriate treatment.

It sounds as if your cat has a skin infection, most commonly caused by an allergy, bacterial or fungal infection 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, hair loss and pustules. Your cat will most likely need antibiotics to help clear up the infection and possibly an allergy/anti-itch medication like Apoquel, Atopica, or steroids 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. Thanks for using Boop by Petco. Best of luck!

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). Finally, if nothing is effective, a psychogenic overgrooming, usually due to stress can be suspected. 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 mo

[Allergies](https://www.petcoach.co/cat/condition/feline-allergies/) are the most common cause of hair loss and [excessive grooming in cats](https://www.petcoach.co/article/excessive-grooming-in-cats-what-it-means-and-how-to-help), but there are several other medical causes as well - including [fleas](https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-tips-to-get-rid-of-fleas/), bacterial or fungal infections, or skin mites. I would definitely start your cat on a good monthly spot-on product such as [Advantage II](https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/cat/cat-flea-and-tick/cat-flea-and-tick-drops/advantage-ii-once-a-month-cat-and-kitten-topical-flea-treatment-over-9-lbs) to make sure fleas are not the problem - you can get this over the counter at many pet stores. If this doesn't resolve the problem, you will need to have your cat examined by a vet - he/she can do some testing if needed to diagnose the problem and get your kitty the appropriate prescription medications to treat it. Behaviora