patches of hair loss, itching on cat

Question
I thought my cat had been in a fight..patches of hair around her neck, a couple on top of her neck, hair coming off. She's really scratching and itching them, bigger areas of hair have fallen off, still around the neck area. She's even not able to meow very well. She's been sick with kidney problems for several months, has been weak, so thought a stray was probably fighting with her.

Answer
My first reaction to this is that you need to take her to a vet. This could be a fungal infection that is transmissible to humans. Cats are particularly prone to these, especially if their immune system is compromised by some other issue such as kidney trouble. And those that go outsidfe are the most vulnerable.

The only way to tell for sure is to take a hair/skin sample and culture it. If it is positive, the vet will have to determine whether topical or systemic treatment is most appropriate, depending on the overall situation and the severity of the outbreak.

Hope this is of use

iris