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My cat has sick-looking skin. Is it allergy, infection, or ringworm?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | African Serval | Female | 2.6 lbs

Hi I just saw my cat today after some time of being away and she looks sick I don't know how to explain it I hope the pictures give you a better view. Please advice.

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2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Massimo Orioles, DVM, Cert AVP, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Published on December 7th, 2019

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). The following products can be found online and can be tried as a first line approach: Douxo PS Calm shampoo, Essential 6 spot on by dermoscent, Krillex Krill oil chews. 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 used to improve our service!

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    Hello. This looks like ringworm or some other fungal infection. Please have Mangwe seen by your veterinarian so the proper diagnostics can be done to determine the actual cause of this skin problem. Only then can the proper treatment be initiated. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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