ringworm

i hope this is the right place to be posting this (it's my first time here).

not even 2 months ago i adopted an adorable gray kitten named Martini. About 4 weeks ago i noticed a spot on my arm and turns out Martini had given me ringworm.

i brought her to the vet, and they shaved her and started the dips. however, i really feel the vet is trying to sell me things i don't need. for example, a culture was taken before martini was shaved and she began dips. 3 weeks later martini was supposed to get another culture done. while she was at the vet, the vet called me at work to tell me that the first culture came back positive so they wouldnt be taking another culture and they would need to shave her again. well, duh! i knew she had it in the first place and if she hadn't begun treatment then why wouldn't it come back positive?

i refused to shave her again because her fur is still quite short and im honestly going through some financial difficulties. when i went to the vet that day to pick her up, they charged me to keep her there all day... something they had never done before. i received a letter in the mail today and its my quote for wednesday's visit -- a shave, culture, and dip totalling out to 200 dollars.

i guess my main question (sorry this is so long by the way!) is if anyone has had any experience with ringworm. is it really necessary to shave my kitten twice? (shes short hair btw). ive already spent close to 500 dollars on vet bills on my kitten in the month and a half i've had her.

so again, sorry so long, i'd just like some feedback on other people's ringworm experiences!

Well, I've been a foster mom with a local rescue organization for several years now and, while my first experience with ringworm rather freaked me out, at this point in time it does not even cause a raised eyebrown. We deal with so many cats that have life threatening illnesses, injuries and psychological issues that a bout of ringworm has become nothing more than something to ride out as, with time, usually a few months, it simply goes away and the cat's hair grows back. Contracting ringworm does not seem to register with the cat either although, there are rare occasions when it does, indeed, seem to bother the cat a bit. Usually it is a kitten. In those cases, we use the strongest form of anti-fungal athletes foot medicine available over the counter, applying daily. Hope this helps.

(lol!) Oh, and I don't know if this is the right place to post either as I also just joined.

Are you sure it's okay to give a kitten a topical fungicide for humans? Cats lick, and I'm concerned about it being ingested. ???

I know, I thought the same thing initially. Our vets actually recommended it, though, and I've never had any problems. I only put enough on there so that it softens the scabbed area. And, again, only use it if the cat or kitten is obviously bothered by the ringworm, which does not happen often. Usually they seem oblivious to having it.
(Silly little things ... running around all happy with no thought to how funny they look half their tail fur gone or the missing hair spot on top of their head ...)

thats the thing.. my kitten is just a carrier of it... no bald spots for her!

If it helps, my daughter has used the anti-fungal cream also. She's the only one of my people that contracted ringworm from my cats. It worked great. The ringworm ran its course and there hasn't been a reoccurance since.