My kitten has a black ring near genitals and licks. Is it serious?

I would recommend taking Snow White to a veterinarian. This can be anything from a bacterial infection to a fungal infection (like ringworm). They can take a woods lamp (it is like a black light) to see if it glows green. If it does it is ringworm, if it does not it still could be. Only 50% of all ringworm shows up positive with this test. Your veterinarian will prescribe medication to help resolve the lesions. I hope Snow White feels better soon and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Sylvester. I am glad that he is seeing his veterinarian. I suspect that he will require treatment. He could be experiencing an allergy to something in his diet or environment. Infections are also common. For example, cats can develop ringworm. This is especially common when a new kitten is brought home. Fleas are frequently seen in cats, but obviously of an issue in the winter. Mites are also possible. The veterinarian will examine him and may test samples from his skin. This will help to reach a diagnosis and guide treatment. If he is licking the lesion, then place an E-collar on him until your appointment. I hope this information helps!

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 used to improve our service!

Hi, I think one of the first conditions to rule out here would be eosinophilic granuloma complex (EGC) which refers to a group of inflammatory skin problems in cats. The skin lesion on the picture may be an eosinophilic plaque. Common sites are the hind legs and the stomach. The lesions can be large and may be itchy, and the cat may frequently tries to licks and even bites at the affected site which can make it worse. Most cases of ECG are due to allergies ( fleas /food/ atopy=environmental). Flea control is very important in the treatment. Most cases respond well to medical treatment with corticosteroids (prednisolone commonly) and antibiotic if infected. She will need to be checked by a vet to confirm and to be treated. Hope this helps

You can try pet clothes but I would not bandage since you could cause more issues if the bandage doesn't fit correctly. I would have the cats examined by a vet, those lesions are quite typical of ringworm in cats. It could be allergic (fleas, food allergies, atopy), bacterial, viral, immune-mediated, etc. Topical ointments are not a very good treatment for the reasons you have observed. Often oral medications work better.

A lesion like that could be a bacterial infection or ringworm (which humans can get). Your best option is to have Mocha examined and tested for ringworm. Make sure to protect the area from rubbing and scratching and she should wear an elizabethan collar at all times. Here is a link about ringworm just in case: https://www.petcoach.co/article/ringworm-in-cats/ I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Persian kittens are very prone to ringworm, a fungal infection. I suggest you take Lily to your veterinarian for a skin exam. She is due for vaccinations anyway so show the skin lesion to your vet. Your vet will want to look at the lesion with a black light and/or do a brush test and try to grow the fungus as a diagnostic to determine if it is indeed a fungal infection. As long there is no definitive diagnosis, please make sure you wash your hands after petting your cat, as ringworm is contagious to people.