~Well I found out why the kittens are losing hair~

~I went to the vet today and finally got a true answer to why one of my kittens has some dry flaky patches on his skin and hair missing on his head....he has RINGWORMS. Okay so not only does my kittens have ring worm I now think I have it as well from handling them and touching them. Im going to the dr tomorrow but Ive got round red circles on my legs that came up today and after speaking with the vet he said it was HIGHLY contagious. Has anybody ever dealt with ringworm in cats? Ive never had dogs or cats with it. Is it something Ive done wrong with my babies? They have stays in one area of my bedroom...in my large walk in closet...and not in contact with anybody but my Yorkie and other adult cat Oreo. Oreo has some patches on her neck too so I think she has the same thing going on. I dont know how this could have happened. What I did find out it RINGWORM is a fungus and not a worm afterall. I was FREAKING when he told me about it. Bad thing is my children have all handled the kittens. Anybody have any info on this for me??~ ill try to get pics when my camera charges up~

Aw sorry to hear about this. Yes what have been describing all along does sound like ringworm...just clicked now you said it.

It sounds like your fur family are infected too....its so contagious. The vet will prescribe something for them. For you, theres a cream they sell, anti-fungal...your vet will be able to tell you more. Ask you vet about getting rid of it from your house, if you can.

About 7 years ago, I fostered 2 kittens and I discovered they had ringworm. It took a good 2 months for it to clear, but since then Ive had no trouble with it.

I did read somewhere (sorry can't remember exactly) but someone did mention a natural treament for ringworms..it could be Pat Locani (sorry Pat if Im wrong). I suggest doing a search for ringworm or looking at Pat's posts. Might be an idea to run that treatment along with what the vet prescribes?

Get well vibes coming your way......

im sorry i dont know much about ring worm as i have never come across it personally , but i do remember haveing it as a kid, it was going round our school.
like you i only found out it was a fungle infection about 3 years ago when reading up about worms in cats.
speak to your doctor also they should prescribe something for the hole family.
i hope it all clears up soon and that your children dont start showing signs of it.

Ringworm is a fungal infection. If you want, you can go to the store and get some athletes foot cream and put it on the spots you have on you. Athletes foot is also a fungal infection so the medication will help to kill it. I would still go to the doctor though.


Now you have ME itching!

I and the cats had it about four/five months ago. I don't know how we got it as they have not been outside for much longer than that. There are different types so you need to get the right meds - athlete's foot is a type of ringworm but not all meds for that will work for all other types. What I found, and it was confirmed by some other members here who have lived through it, is that no cream or shampoo worked on its own - you need some oral meds for you and the cats. I was bathing my cats every other day in a foul smelling shampoo given me by the vet, and washing my own hair in some stuff from the doctor, and we all had Lamisil cream which helped, but it didn't go away until we all had tablets. And keep washing bedding, vacuum the dust up every day as the spores can live in the house for months.

Disinfect everything all the time. Treat yourself. Wash hands, wash hands, wash hands!

Honestly....you're best bet is to start treatment on all animals in you're home at the same time. I'd move mom & kittens into a room with linloeum that is easy to clean, you will want to clean daily.

Watch you're kids closely as chances are they'll get ringworm as well. If you have any further questions, PM me. I've been through ringworm 3x with Damita....who gave it to everyone else!

oh heck, what a bummer - lots of great advice - hope you get it sorted PDQ !!!

Ringworm is quite easy to cure on humans. All you need is some clear nail polish and just rub it on the spots as needed. This will suffocate the fungus that causes the ringworm, and it will go away I am currently doing this and it is curing mine up.. My vet who specializes in cats told me not to worry to much about my older cats as they have the ability to fight it off where as young kittens and comprimised immune systems don't.

My vet has currently given me some anti fungal cream to use on the kittens... But you can get some for yourself, and I would recommend that you get Lamisil, it is one of the best antifungal creams out there. No prescription needed.

Originally Posted by mom_2_3

~I went to the vet today and finally got a true answer to why one of my kittens has some dry flaky patches on his skin and hair missing on his head....he has RINGWORMS. Okay so not only does my kittens have ring worm I now think I have it as well from handling them and touching them. Im going to the dr tomorrow but Ive got round red circles on my legs that came up today and after speaking with the vet he said it was HIGHLY contagious. Has anybody ever dealt with ringworm in cats? Ive never had dogs or cats with it. Is it something Ive done wrong with my babies? They have stays in one area of my bedroom...in my large walk in closet...and not in contact with anybody but my Yorkie and other adult cat Oreo. Oreo has some patches on her neck too so I think she has the same thing going on. I dont know how this could have happened. What I did find out it RINGWORM is a fungus and not a worm afterall. I was FREAKING when he told me about it. Bad thing is my children have all handled the kittens. Anybody have any info on this for me??~ ill try to get pics when my camera charges up~

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To bad it isn't an actual worm, much simpler to treat IMO... But it is a fungus and you can get it and it definately sounds like you do have it! It isn't your fault, it can get in your home many different ways, just like a number of different illnesses can be brought in by you and harm your pets. You have received some good advice, I have nothing else to add. Good luck! Oh I don't know if anyone else mentioned that you can see ringworm under blacklight. It will glow. But be careful because dirt and dust specks will also, and if you turn the blacklight on your home, stay away from the kitchen, you will have the shock of your life if you shine a blacklight in there!

~Wow I learned more here from you guys/gals than the darn DR. All I was told was to put the cream on it and it would take upto a month to heal up. Im worried because I have 3 children but I also have alot of other children in my home after school to play with my kids. I keep the kittens in my bedroom closet which all of the second floor is carpet but downstairs is all hard wood floors. So can it survive on hard wood floors or just carpet/fabric areas? Sound like this is going to be HARD to get rid of. My husband is FREAKING out. Mind you he is already allergic to cats and didnt like me having them tobegin with but now this has give him another reason to suggest we NOT have cats. ~

~He wont let me come near him and is complaining of itchings just because he is paranoid. I read online to use Apple Cider Vinegar and even somebody said dab some bleach on the spots with a swab. Sounds scare right? Then ask my why I tried it? lol BURN like the dickens! Anywayz I have 2 spots on me and the poor kittens are starting to get all covered in spots but Lazuli is almost bald except for a mohawk of hair on his head thats left. The vet said it will get worse before it gets better! Its killing me because Im scared to touch and handle them and now freaking out about the kids getting it. WOW never imagined something that sounded so simple being so hard to rid my family/home/pets of.~

~How long do you have to treat it and how do I know if Im cleaning my house enough to get rid of it? I dont have a black light but if I did it would probably horrify me if I seen anything with it! NIGHTMARES! Im still freaking out over it! Can this kill these kittens since they are so young? Will their hair regrow? How long? ~

Get some horticultural cornmeal from either the feed store or health food store. Put about 1 cup in a nylon stocking and tie it off. Hang it over the side of a 1 gallon container and run HOT water over it OR leave it in your bath water and soak in it. If you put it in a 1 gal. container, let it steep for awhile and cool. Remove the stocking with the cornmeal. Use about 1/2 - 1 cup of the liquid (tea) and mix up a gallon of the stuff. Bathe the kitties in it as a drench. I would do it daily at the least and more often if possible. It's a slow process, but it does work!

Here's the original Q&A from The Dirt Doctor

http://www.dirtdoctor.com/dallasnews.php?id=476

Cornmeal helped kittens' ringworm
September 03, 2004
By Howard Garrett


Question: I have two rescued kittens diagnosed with ringworm. Is horticultural cornmeal of any benefit to treat this problem?

M.W., Dallas

Answer: It should be helpful, but a cornmeal drench may work better.

Note: A later message from this reader indicated that cornmeal helped.

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Stephanie

Ring worm can be tough in some cases to eliminate, and the length of treatment varies. I'm so glad you've identified it so that you can now begin the process of getting rid of it. It's no fun, but will be gone before you know it as if it had never occurred!