What does lichen look like in cats

The content of the article

• The first signs of depriving cats
• What does cat lichen look like
• Species depriving cats
• How to identify lichen in a cat
• Symptoms of ringworm
• How to recognize cat lichen in hidden form

Lichen is a very common skin disease in cats. Especially often this ailment affects those animals that the owners let go for a walk on the street. It will be possible to get rid of it only with the help of medications; lichen alone will not pass. Every cat owner needs to know how to recognize an ailment.

The first signs of depriving cats

The sooner you notice a problem and begin treatment, the faster you will notice the effect. Lichen is a lesion of the skin caused by fungi. It is transmitted from one animal to another, both through direct contact, and through lice, ticks, and other parasites. Spores can remain on the hair that has fallen out, in the tray. The ideal habitat for them is heat and humidity. The disease affects adults, but more often occurs in a kitten, whose body is in the stage of active development. How does lichen in cats begin:

• the animal is very itchy, pays a lot of attention to the ears;
• in the initial stage, the pet’s hair falls out strongly with the formation of lumps (this looks like intense molting);
• bald areas of the skin are wrinkled, red;
• the cat refuses to eat, quickly losing weight, becomes inactive, lethargic, constantly sleeping;
• wool on infected areas becomes dull, breaks, loses color.

What does cat lichen look like

Diseases are very susceptible to long-haired cats, animals with weak immunity. At risk are pets who have parasites or infections, as well as those who are kept in adverse conditions, poorly fed. The disease may not appear until several months after infection. What does lichen look like in cats:

1. On the body (usually in the head, neck, legs, tail) round bald spots appear, on which there is practically no hair. If you do not treat the disease, then they become larger, are connected into large foci.
2. Grayish scales are noticeable on the skin. In the future, the appearance of white plaque is noticeable in the foci. The cat seems to have dandruff.
3. The skin in the foci of damage becomes wrinkled, acquires a painfully red color. Vesicles or ulcers may appear later..
4. If the claws are affected, then they begin to deform..

Species depriving cats

Two forms of the disease are distinguished, depending on the fungus that is the causative agent: trichophytosis and microsporia. They proceed in different ways. The incubation period of trichophytosis is from one to six weeks. Foci appear on the head, neck. Very rarely, paws and tail lesions occur. What does lichen look like in cats with trichophytosis:

1. Infected areas of the skin turn red and bald, a plaque appears on them.
2. The manifestation of small spots with sharp outlines, tubercles is noticeable. With the progression of the disease, they grow.
3. The cat constantly scratches the lesions.
4. Affected areas are covered with scales, crusts.

Microsporia, as a rule, is hidden and asymptomatic. Only sometimes with a thorough examination, the owners find that the cat has some broken off hair, and the places around them are covered with scales. The fungus affects the head, limbs, tail. The disease makes itself felt at times when the animal’s immunity drops dramatically, or due to deterioration of the conditions of detention. Then microsporia takes one of the atypical forms:

1. Dermatophytosis. In this type of lichen, constant severe itching is observed, hair begins to fall out intensively, but foci do not appear. The skin is covered with dandruff, wounds. Possible inflammation of the nose..
2. Ringworm. Clear skin lesions with sharp outlines.
3. Pustular dermatitis. A normal or purulent rash appears. Wool does not crumble, no scales.

How to identify lichen in a cat

To do this is sometimes very difficult. Every pet owner must know what ringworm looks like in a cat in order to see a doctor in a timely manner. You should regularly examine the skin of the pet for prevention, pay attention to its behavior. It is much more difficult to detect ringworm in cats in a hidden form, but this is also possible. Some signs also point to him..

Symptoms of ringworm

This disease is indicated by hair loss in the animal. If you don’t know what ringworm looks like in cats, examine the pet’s head, neck, legs, tail. With the disease, they will have round spots, bald at all or with several short hairs. The skin in this place is wrinkled, unhealthy in color, covered with scales. This is how lichen appears in cats. Having noticed such signs, be sure to show the animal to the veterinarian.

How to recognize cat lichen in hidden form

This kind of disease is dangerous for both other animals and humans. It is difficult to describe how lichen looks in cats in a hidden form. If the pet has strong immunity and is generally healthy, then you can notice only a few broken hairs in small foci. As a rule, they have a white coating (mycelium of the fungus), and the skin around is covered with barely visible scales. The foci are localized on the muzzle, near the ears.