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.

It's a self-limiting disease, meaning that it will clear up on its own. In many cases the disease resolves within 6 to 8 weeks. Stubborn cases, however, may persist for weeks or months even with treatment. Cats with compromised immune systems may take longer. In any case, your veterinarian may prescribe treatment no matter what, since it is very common for animals to pass this disease to humans and other animals.

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

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

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

Only your veterinarian can diagnose cat ringworm. You should call your veterinarian if you suspect your cat has this illness.