Ringworm

[LadySekhmet]

Just wanted to rant.

Treating ringworm in cats is a big pain in the butt.

I recently got a new kitten from a shelter. He was very thin and sick. He got better, then developed Ringworm. I had to isolate him from my other two cats while treating him with special shampoo and fungal cream. He got better, but still has some patches of fur missing. Now my other cat has ringworm near his eye. This is a pain in the ass because the shampoo and fungal cream cannot go near the eye (duh). So, I'm treating him with oral meds.

All I can say, what a pia. I have never had any of my cats get sick like this. It all started when I moved to Vegas. First, both of my cats got a cold from stress and being on the plane. Mocha got stomach issues and puking due to the hard water...they now drink bottled water. Then Hobbes got severe systematic infection. Then...Blackjack got severe URI and Ringworm, now Hobbes got a bit of ringworm near his eye.

Man, I never had any of my cats sick like this the past 9 years, with exception of the one that had cancer!

Just felt like ranting.

 

[Babyblue]

Poor kitties.

I hope for the best for you. And your precious cats.

 

[Jasmine4lakshmi]

I am sorry. That's got to be stressful. My cat, Brat just recently got over being sick. I thought I was going to lose him, but he's back to his normal bratty self. Ringworm is a pain in the butt, it's contagious to humans too. I took the time and looked up some home remedies to get rid of it for you and your cat.
Home Remedies for Ringworm in Cats: What works, what doesn't, should you see a vet?

Good luck.

 

[Angel]

I'm sorry you are going through this..

I can totally relate to how you are feeling. Ringworms are very difficult to get rid of and a pain in the butt because it spreads to any other person or animal that they come into contact with.

A couple of years ago, my sister found an abandoned 5-6 weeks old kitten in the parking lot by her apartment, he was so small and very thin. My sister knew I would take him in since I'm a cat lover. I noticed he was scratching himself frequently and he was cover with fleas, so I took him to my vet the next day and was told he had ringworms and respiratory infection too.

I kept him in the caged while he was being treated because I had 12 months old baby and 5 years old son in the house at that time include another cat and I knew ringworms were highly contagious but he died from an infection about 5 days later...I guess I was too late to save him..

 

[LadySekhmet]

Thanks everyone.

Here's how I treated it. I kept a diluted bleach spray bottle (a small cap full of bleach with one full bottle of water). I use this for surfaces in the 2nd bathroom and guest bedroom where Blackjack stays.

When it's time for Blackjack's treatment, I spray the bald obvious spots with the diluted bleach for just a min, then I give him the treatment bath. That way it's not making him sick, and kills spores at the same time. Too bad that Bleach can be harmful....it could kill off quite a lot of stuff. So, I have to be careful when using it on cats. He has 8 different spots all over him, so he's more infected than my other two. I do not use the bleach mix on anything near his head. Only on his body.

After the bath, I give him the antifungal cream. Same human stuff for athlete's foot. I use the antifungal cream twice a day, baths every 2 days. I have been doing this for a month. Blackjack's fur on the spots has been growing back, so I stopped the baths, but continue use the antifungal cream on one spot.

Hobbes - He has it right around his eye, so NONE of the home remedies will work, so I have to give him oral medication. It's not expensive, $20 for a bottle. So, he's on that for 4 weeks. No new spots have been seen, so that's good. I will give him a bath this weekend with the chlorohexidine stuff in case if he has some spores on the rest of his body.

NOW - Mocha, my oldest, just started to scratch her ear, Ringworm! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

This is partially my fault. I have been playing with Blackjack more often, and allowed him out because he's basically cured, but I didn't really wash my hands and stuff...so therefore, that's how Mocha and possibly Hobbes got it.

It wouldn't have mattered because Ringworm is a fungus and it spreads by spores, so if I get a little bit on my shirt, they can get it. It can go through the air vents.

I'm not discouraged because Mocha's ear can be treated with antifungal cream. I'm going to ask the vet today to give me a bigger bottle, and I will treat ALL THREE of them. I don't want Blackjack to get it for the third time. I suspect that he had it before during fostering then got better, then went back to shelter, and I adopted him out.

$hit happens. There are worse things in the world....right? Except maybe getting Ringworm in unmentionable spots.