The most common infectious skin disease in cats, cat ringworm is not a worm, but a fungal infection. It is highly contagious and can be spread to all the animals and people in the house.

In many cases this disease resolves itself, without treatment, within 6 to 8 weeks. Since it’s very common for cats to pass this disease on, your veterinarian may prescribe treatment anyway. Cats with compromised immune systems may take longer to heal and may not heal at all without treatment.

Ringworm, known as dermatophytosis, is a fungus which feeds on keratin. Keratin is a protein found in hair, nails, and skin.

The classic ringworm symptom is seen as patches of hair loss which look like circular scaly areas with raised edges. These symptoms are fairly easy to spot. This disease gets its name from the round ring-like marks it leaves on the skin.

The initial symptoms include dry, flaky skin. The most common locations for infection are the head, face, ears, tail, and paws. In addition, you may see bald areas on the legs, ears, and around the eyes.

Cats with compromised immune systems may experience more severe symptoms, including crusty lesions that may become infected, red and sore.

The symptoms list for cat ringworm includes loss of hair (or broken hair) in circular patterns and hair loss in irregular patterns. Also visible is scaly, bumpy, red, or inflamed skin, and possibly deformed claws. Your cat may scratch the affected areas, but not all cases present with itchiness, and some cats may experience little to no hair loss with this disease.

Cat ringworm can only be diagnosed by your veterinarian, so get in contact with your vet if you suspect your cat is infected.