My cat has a scabbed hair loss patch. Should I take him to the vet?

It looks like Apollo has been scratching that area and maybe made a scratch with one of his nails. I would be concerned if he is continuously trying to scratch his ear that he has an ear infection. I would recommend a veterinarian if he is scratching at his ear more recently to have them check his ear out. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

has any topical medicine for fleas been applied recently? They do have reactions that can cause hair loss after application in that area. Another thought is if he rubbed against something to cause irritation and he is licking the fur to make it wet and pull more hair out. If it is non painful and there are no open wounds and he is acting normal, I would watch it for a day or so. If it bothers him or gets larger then I would have him checked, if not the hair should regrow on its on

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It is hard to see the scab in this picture but I can see that Zoey is a cutie! This scab could be due to a mild infection or perhaps some mild traumatic lesion. You can consider just monitoring for now if it is just one. If this gets worse or just does not resolve, have her evaluated by your veterinarian then. I would not recommend any products or treatments yet as this may resolve on its own depending on its severity. Good luck and have a great day!

I don't think I would be overly concerned about this at this time. I suggest you monitor that area for now. You can apply a topical antibiotic ointment/cream if you'd like twice a day. If it doesn't get better after 10 days or so you should have your vet check her out.

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It looks like a healing skin scratch or other skin wound. As long as the skin is dry, not painful to touch and is not bothering Puhskinti, you should just monitor that area. It should fully heal up in the next few days. However, if the area is sore to touch, discharging puss or causing any discomfort to your cat, you should take him to your local vets for an appointment.

That lesions looks pretty quiet. Perhaps Voli had an injury there or the hair regrowth cycle is off. If you are comfortable, you may monitor the area right now. If it gets larger or appears swollen, take him into the vet. Cats rarely get lacrimal duct infections but that lesion is in the area over the duct system. Please post again if you have any further questions!

Hi there! Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! There is a variety of reasons that can explain alopecia or hair loss. The causes can easily be differentiated by the clinical signs associated with it and the physical exam findings. If Freckles is only showing some hair loss without scratching or overgrooming then it could conditions such as alopecia areata that can affect cats and usually resolves on its own. If there is evidence of scratching and you start noticing some redness or irritation associated with it, then other conditions such as allergies are possible. If you notice him overgrooming himself in that area then it could be something like psychogenic alopecia which is more of a behavioral issue. I think that since he is not having overt clinical signs and it is mostly hair loss, I think it is possibly transient and could resolve on its own. You can monitor this closely and if it does not resolve or it worsens then have him examined by your veterinarian. Good luck!