Raw spot

QuestionEdit

My cat has a small raw spot on the side or her nect. It doesn't look infected it just looks like the hair is gone. The area is red. Can you please help?

AnswerEdit

This could be an allergic reaction - watch your cat closely for any scratching at the area. Typical cat allergies include food, litter, and fleas. If any changes have recently been made in any of these areas, you may want to change back to whatever you were using before. The redness means there is an infection - this may be bacterial or a fungal infection like ringworm. You can apply a small amount of triple antibiotic ointment to the spot twice daily for 5 days. If the spot does not resolve by then, OR if it starts to get worse in terms of size or redness at any time, then your cat should be seen by a vet right away - a ringworm infection will not resolve with the ointment, and neither will a deep bacterial infection. A vet can also help you get to the root of the problem and find out why the spot appeared in the first place. Most times, an allergy causes the cat to itch and then scratching causes the infection.

Good luck to you,

Dr. Jen