6 Things I Learned from Our Ringworm Plague (book length....)

Hi Eileen,

Thanks for your news! What a story! Congratulations on figuring it out and triumphing over it!  

You truly have lessons for all of us — not only should we listen to our gut (if it's proven trustworthy in the past) but we also need to make sure that what we're dealing with is actually ringworm. And it's always wise to remember that many treatments can cause major, unforeseen side effects, including allergic reactions.

I'm convinced that the topical miconazole cream we used on our kittens in 2009 made their lesions worse and actually painful. If I were dealing with ringworm again (And listen up, ye Ringworm Fairies, I am NOT asking you to dump another plague on us....) I would stick with the lime-sulfur soaks and the oral meds, and housecleaning and not use any spot treatments unless I knew it was safe and very gentle, like a soothing salve.

I would love to see a photo of Shakti — she must be turning into a big beautiful cat now! Thanks again, and don't be a stranger here!

Bunnelina

Thanks Bunnelia! I took your recommendation and went with an all natural hairball medicine, she has been doing great. Izzy's spirits have been really lifted since the cone has been off - so THANK YOU for your recommendations!!! She is eating more too and her hair looks drastically better.

So the cultures came back. Izzy (the older cat) is still positive but Oscar (the kitten) is negative. At least one!! They are both still in separate rooms. So with Oscar on his first negative - I was thinking of doing the lime sulfur dips once a week for two more weeks and continuing on the medication for 2 weeks, before doing another culture? Do they say you need (2) negatives to be clear? And if he is clear, what do people do to prevent reinfection? Monthly or bi-weekly dips? 

If Oscar is clear after his second negative, than I can think about releasing him to the house (but maybe I should wait until Izzy is clear too?). Maybe it would be better to wait to release them at the same time even if it means confining the kitten two or three weeks longer than he needs to be? I'm only worried with still treating Izzy if I could be carrying spores around with me that he might than get in contact with.

The cats had occupied the whole house before they were being treated so I am sure there are still spores that I need to clean. We have vacuumed and steam moped once a week when they were being confined, but I'm sure that isn't enough? We have hard wood floors everywhere, I was thinking of bleaching them to be sure? How crazy do people get with cleaning? Do people literally wash the walls? Steam clean all fabric couches, cushions, pillows? I would HATE to finally clear them and have them re-catch it from somewhere in the house. 

What about bedding… I had washed their bedding in hot water, should I just throw it out and get new or do wash with bleach?

I'm terrified of them getting reinfected!!!

I'll have to continue to treat Izzy, I was thinking for another 3 weeks maybe before doing another culture. This way I can be more sure that she will have a negative (since it's so expensive). 

Thanks again for all your help and advice!!! 

Hi RosieT,

I'm glad the cats are better and you got a negative culture! Thanks for the update! When you have three negative cultures on both cats, they're considered clear, and you can relax. Unless you're letting them outside, you shouldn't need to worry about them getting reinfected... as long as your place has been thoroughly cleaned.

As the housecleaning article says, think of ringworm spores as being like dust mites or ragweed pollen. They're in the air, floating around, not doing damage until they hit their target. Your job is to scoop them up and get rid of them, rather than try to kill them, throughout the house. Bleaching everything is hard on everyone's health, and on your house, and it's not necessary. (It's fine for crates, bedding, though.) A vacuum with a HEPA filter will trap spores, as will swiffering and wiping with damp microfiber cloths (rinse often and use strong cleaners on THEM when you wash in hot water and then roast the heck out of them in your dryer). You don't need to bleach your wooden floors.

What you do need to do is clean every surface with a cloth, swiffer, or the vac, or combinations of those. And keep at it frequently. You should wipe your ceilings, walls, floors, windows, doors, cabinets, etc. If cats go under your furniture, tip over the sofa and clean the underside. I did it with out mattress, too. Wipe or dust bookshelves... every surface. I vacuumed my upholstery until I was satisfied and then covered it with Indian bedspreads (SO stunning, especially for Christmas, ha ha) or old sheets and washed those in hot water once as often as I could. Remember, I had four cats roaming around. I had our oriental carpets professionally cleaned and kept them at the cleaner until we were clear. I packed away curtains after washing them well, and wiped and packed away knick knacks to make cleaning easier. It's all in that article...

You will probably "know" when your place is clean enough. It will be weirdly clean. You will find a puff of cat fur on the floor and freak out. This is how it was for me, at least, and I was used to having tumbleweeds of fur blowing around before the ringworm hit. The place will feel CLEAN. And chances are it will be. (If you have duct work or vents, that's another area you need to deal with. Dr. Moriello has suggestions about that.)

I never isolated anyone, so I can't really speak to that. Ringworm flies through the air.... My Persians tested negative from the beginning but got all the treatments alongside my two infected kittens. They all hung out together all over the apt. A good lime-sulfur soak on them (or more) and the oral meds go a LONG way toward making them less contagious. Since you've been doing that, I don't think you need to be too worried, as long as you really got the dip through their fur, soaking them to the skin.  

Get those three negatives and you can STOP ALL OF IT and resume your normal life (remember that?)!!  I hope you get there soon! 

Sooo I think my 2 new persian kittens I got about 2 weeks ago are carriers. They have no lesions what so every but my 2 dogs and I broke out horribly with them shortly after getting the kittens, dogs do have a history of it from my yard though. For the past few days now the kittens have been isolated to 1 room and the dogs have free roam of the living room/kitchen with hard floors. Iv only started using antifungal shampoos on everyone (plan on doing every 2-3 days), dogs are getting miconazole lotion applied, and kittens getting itraconazole once daily that was given with them due to them having a history of getting ringworm in the past.
My problem is I work 10-12hrs a day and live by myself with only 3 days off a week. Cleaning as well as I should is very very hard for me. So I'm thinking of going straight to lime dips for everyone with all the other meds as well to help contain the spores since I can't clean as often, and after reading so many horror stories lol.
My question is how the lime dip had affected anyone else's persians fur during treatment. 1 kitten I bathe can't be blow dried and I remember how icky her fur felt while I waited for it to dry and brush out. I can't imagine what leaving a dip on to dry alone would do to their already about 3inch long fur. Are they going to turn into a walking mat or anything? will their fur survive bi weekly dips? lol

Ps I too was started on lamasil tabs daily and before the miconazole lotion on the dogs I was spraying them with lamasil spray (generic for foot fungi) which fixed their very small lesions (1-3 each had) in the past. This time the poor babies are covered all over their legs because I took too long to notice what was happening :-(

Hi there,

You poor kid! Too often, kittens from breeders come with ringworm. At least for those of us who got rescue kittens, we weren't paying hundreds of dollars for our ringworm plague. It adds so much insult to injury, in my opinion.

I had two Persian teenagers that were dipped weekly for several weeks. Do not rinse them or blow dry them. Brushing them out may help spread spores, too. Saturate them to the skin and let the stuff dry, keeping them nice and warm all the time. Read the directions on the bottle or ask your vet how strong to make the solution. I would think that for kittens you might want to dilute it to a strength that will still be effective without being too harsh for them. Hopefully your vet will know. One the kittens have been dipped a couple of times and are on oral medication for a couple of weeks, they should be much less contagious. But your dogs are also contagious now and I'm afraid you will need to clean because of them. They will benefit a lot from the dipping, too.

I hope you've read the two recent Cat Site articles about ringworm and housecleaning during ringworm that I've already mentioned in other posts here. The cleaning is a total pain, but it's important. If you can vacuum EVERYTHING with a HEPA filter vac, that will help. If you can wipe surfaces and knickknacks, etc. with a microfiber cloth or Swiffer, and then pack unneeded stuff away, it will help. Steam-cleaning rugs professionally will help. Think about gathering up and eliminating spores rather than trying to kill them with bleach. Please also read the section of the article that talks about isolating animals. Often it is more stressful than helpful, since you're dealing with an airborne fungus, not a virus that's transmitted by sneezing, etc. 

My Persians had sad, dusty, yellowish, smelly fur, but they were not hopelessly matted at all. I did not dip them myself, however. It's possible that my groomer did a little spot work to prevent mats but I doubt she could have combed them when wet. We all got used to their fur and the stuff does wear off eventually. You can bathe them after you get some negative cultures. I never had to clip mine or anything like that. Clipping is a bad idea, and that explanation is also in the ringworm article.

I wish you a lot of luck. It's rotten when you're dealing with this during the holidays, as I know all too well... Keep us posted on how you are doing, and I hope you are enjoying your wonderful kittens in spite of all this nonsense. It's annoying and unsightly, but keep in mind that there are so many much more horrible and scary — lethal — health problems. This plague will pass, I promise!

I don't really mind the ringworm as long as my pets aren't suffering, I work in a vet clinic so I know all the worst things they could have! But living off a vet tech income alone with bills means I can't afford to keep treating an epidemic either lol. If I had the money I'd buy a good vacuum plus air purifiers for each room and many more aids to help keep this at bay. Unfortunately that's not possible at this time (doesn't help that one of the dogs needed have a tooth extracted today).
I guess for my situation the 1 great cleaning a week plus crappy daily cleans and a lot of praying and wishing will have to do for now lol.
I do feel very bad because I feel like I'm not interacting as much with my kittens like I was before due to them having to be isolated in 1 room and me working so much, I'm glad they have each other at least. I also hope my progress of having the dogs get along with the kittens doesn't suffer due to all this as well :-(. These are my first kittens ever! I love them to death already!

Aha! It makes sense that you're a vet tech — so many of us were SO freaked out and horrified by ringworm and you seem much more philosophical and calm about the situation. While I think that's good for your stress level and blood pressure, those of us who were wrecks had a ton of nervous energy to channel into cleaning. I was a cleaning maniac because I was so scared.  I'm still amazed at what I accomplished back then. (Never again!)  If I were you, I'd make myself a written cleaning plan. Figure out what your priorities are, list them in order, and just attend to those, one at a time, when you have free time and energy.

Since it sounds like you've had ringworm before, with your dogs, a Miele or similar vac might be a worthwhile investment. Some Miele dealers sell refurbs at good prices; you might also be able to get one online. Then you can clean walls, floors, ceilings, undersides of mattresses, and your upholstery pretty quickly. You can also swiffer a lot of that stuff. I would not bother with bleach or scrubbing, especially around those kittens. 

As you know, kittenhood is a brief, magical, important time. I hope you can find more time for them and enjoy their babyhood. They need attention and cuddling and playtime now. It's great that they have each other, but they also need you! I'd say that, for a new kitten mom like you, this time is even more important than all that boring cleaning, since it will help your kittens grow into amazing and friendly cats. One of my ringworm kittens is still quite feral at age 5 because we didn't handle her enough when she had the fungus. A mistake with lifetime repercussions. (Plus kitten time will be relaxing and restorative after all your hard work.)

Those kittens are lucky to have you and not only because you're experienced with animals and you love them:  lots of owners would be trying to send them back to the cattery or would be afraid to handle them. I hope your office is giving you a discount on their care, and a break of the culturing when it's time.

I don't know much about dogs, except that they can become great friends with cats. Take the introductions slowly, keep everyone feeling safe and comfortable, and all should be well. You may not need to isolate if everyone's getting dips and medication. Both go along way to making the animals less contagious. As a tech, you may have access to more of Dr. Karen Moriello's research than the rest of us, and you may find some more tips there. If you do, please let us know!  Best of luck to all of you! 

UPDATE:  The culture came back negative -- the kittens do NOT have ringworm!  

WONDERFUL!!  Congratulations on getting the result so many of us were hoping for!  Christmas came early for you this year, or Hanukah, or whatever. Enjoy those kittens!! Thanks for giving us all some good news!

So an update on my cats… Oscar (the kitten) has received negative cultures but Izzy (the older cat) is still positive. I'm thinking of waiting a few more weeks maybe at least 3 before I culture her again because they are so expensive!!! Last night we dipped Izzy and I noticed a small patch is reappearing on her chin!! NOOOO!!! I am so frustrated I feel like this has been going on FOREVER! I have had a very hard time giving her the medicine (Terbinafine). I think this might be part of my problem as we have stayed vigilant with cleaning and dipping. I have tried everything…wrapping it in a treat, wrapping it in meat, I got the liquid version and seringined it down her throat which she managed to regurgitate back up, tried putting the pills cut in quarter size down her throat, she just spits it up! The only thing that has worked has been mixing it with food, which she won't always eat all of it, and it can be very hard to tell how much she has eaten. Any suggestions on how to get the medicine to her? 

Thanks everyone for the support, I sure need it!!  

Hi RosieT,

I will cross my fingers for a Christmas miracle in your ringworm war. 

When I pilled my dear, sweet, departed Bunnelina, it was hell. She turned into a furious pill-ejecting machine. I believed she could even shoot them out of her ears. When I had to give her chemo medication that was highly toxic, I had to wear haz-mat garb complete with mask and goggles because she'd spit out the liquid version everywhere, and the pills flew everywhere, too.

So I invented what I call "the chemo canape." I'd coat the pill thickly with Laughing Cow cheese and then I'd wrap a small bit of turkey lunchmeat around it. The lunchmeat allowed me to get it into her mouth without it sticking to my latex gloves. The cheese was very sticky, though, and usually kept the pill from coming back out of her mouth. Maybe this will work for you.  (I have had no interest in Laughing Cow ever since we lost her that summer. But your canapes will definitely have a much happier outcome.)

It's  a good idea to syringe a little room-temp water into the cat's mouth (not down the throat) to help keep the pill from sticking to the esophagus and causing problems. 

Terbinafine should take care of ringworm with fewer risks than the other meds. You might want to double-check or triple-check that your vet prescribed the right dose. While you certainly never want to overdose, underdosing won't cure the ringworm. I mention this because the first time our vet prescribed oral ringworm meds (Sporanox, I think it was) she was off by a decimal point so the dose was 1/10th what it was supposed to be. After we figured that out, I started asking a vet pharmacist or another vet to confirm any dosages that seemed off to me, just to be sure.

Best of luck to you. May it all be over soon!

Hi Bunnelina, 

I am so sorry to hear about your cat who passed away You sound like the best cat mother ever though, and I can tell that you love your animals so much!  I love your idea about the laughing cow cheese and turkey. I will try that tonight! When you administered it, did you stick it back into her mouth as if you were pilling her and try to get her to swallow it whole? Or was it more of a treat that you encouraged her to eat?

Also thank you for the advice on checking the dosing, I will do that very smart to check it!  

Thank you so much for your support and advice, you have helped me sooo much!!!

RosieT,

Some of the people here really helped me a lot when I was dealing with ringworm five years ago, and I'm delighted to be of help others! Thank you!

Bunnelina was much smarter than me and would never take a treat offered at pill time. I had to pry her stubborn jaws apart and toss it in. Aim for the back of the mouth but not all the way back — no choking. The sticky cheese should help it go the rest of the way, and then squirt in a little water for your cat to swallow. Let me know how it goes. I hope some others here might have other techniques for you to try. There must be some great boards on this subject for you to consult. 

When you love cats, you find the strength and grit to do whatever it takes to help them, even things you never thought you could. I'm sure you know this, too!

Best,

Laurie

Bunnelina, 

You are a GENIUS! Izzy ate her medicine right up with the Laughing cow cheese and turkey wraps. She was even meowing for more!!! I can't thank you enough!!!!

Hi, CassieP3--
Lesions are pretty obvious, especially on an all white kitty. The fur falls out first, revealing a raw sore that looks like raw chopped meat, without being bloody. I apply a cortisone ointment the vet gave me, after verifying that these weren't ringworm any longer but an allergic response--I think to all the anti-fungal medicines Shakti had from a very small kitten until four months ago. These allergic granulomas are larger, rounder, itchier than the ringworm lesions, and form a rather thick scab. By contrast the ringworm lesions were smaller and more oblong sores and came to be covered with a thin layer of a tan, fine breadcrumb-like substance that was easily removable. THAT was the ringworm fungus.

Hope this helped. Wishing you all the best!

So here is a photo of Shakti, now 14 months old. Hugs to you Bunnelina!  <3  I am sooooo grateful to you for starting this thread. I honestly don't know how I would have gotten past this without you and the support of the group. Hugs all round!!!   

Wow!  She is beautiful!!!!

Thanks for your kind words and for the help you've given others, too! 

Hey Bunnelina!

I started a separate forum,  but I figured responding to this one would be a good idea too. I'm a college student having a heck of a time with ringworm and three cats.

The vet has cultured the two that she believed had ringworm, but now they both have new areas of growth.I found a spot on the third cat last night, and she's looking into the possibility of it being something other than ringworm. Did your vet mention if there were any other skin issues that could present with ringworm-like lesions?

Thanks in advance!

Hi there,

Yikes! I hope you are getting a reprieve from exams and term papers since you are struggling with this on top of being in school! I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. 

If you have one cat with ringworm, you can quickly have three cats with ringworm. It is an airborne fungus that can travel, similar to ragweed pollen, in the right kind of environment. So isolating an infected cat in a separate room is usually much too little, too late, as well as stressful for the cat. If the cats had been together before you noticed the first spots, there's usually no point in isolating them. They've all been exposed. It sounds like you don't have it, which is always a blessing....

I strongly suggest that you read the two articles that the founder of The Cat Site put together recently, with some help from me. (Go to the menu banner at the top of a webpage and choose "Articles" and look for them..... PS: It's really hard to find: go here: http://www.thecatsite.com/a/ringworm-in-cats, and link to the housecleaning article from there — I couldn't find it!) One is all about ringworm, what it is, and how to treat it. Ringworm is often not what people think it is, and this is a clear presentation of the facts. (Even I learned things when I read it... and I helped write it!)  The other article is about housecleaning. Most vet info advises you to use a strong bleach solution on everything — but if you don't live in a kennel, this is not helpful advice. The article will tell you how to approach cleaning effectively, without toxic bleach fumes.

Ringworm cultures can take three weeks or more to grow, so while you're waiting, it's best to treat the cats with lime-sulfur dips and to clean the heck out of your apartment. There are many other so-called remedies available, lime-sulfur dips are known to work successfully and are still the top recommendation of Dr. Karen Moriello DVM. She is THE ringworm expert for cats. Because oral medications are not without risk, I wouldn't start those until you have a clear diagnosis. 

Ringworm can present in many different ways. It can look like crusty, disgusting sores or as odd little gray oval spots. It can appear on claws. And there are many other skin diseases that can look like ringworm. Only a culture that grows "something" that is then identified under a microscope will tell you just what you are dealing with. I hope it isn't ringworm!  The fact that cultures aren't growing right away can be a good sign. A positive first culture will usually start growing it in the first two weeks.

Keep us posted on how you're making out, and good luck with everything, including school!

Hi all!

I'm back! Ugh, we are coming on out 3rd month of treatment! Oscar the kitten who originally brought in the ringworm is cleared at this point but I'm still keeping him quarantined in the bathroom until Izzy the older cat is cleared too just to avoid reinfecting him. Izzy has a new spot on her chin!!! I'm so upset! She has been getting lime and sulfur dips for about 6-8 weeks now, and has been on Terbinafine for about 6 weeks. 

I'm wondering if I haven't been treating her or the environment enough….With the cleaning I vacuum once a day. Twice a week we steam mop and bleach, and then rinse the floors. We whipe down the radiators and windows and some areas of the walls near her food and kitty litter. We haven't literally whipped down all the walls or the ceilings. There is one piece of furniture in the room, a book case which weighs a tone so I left it in there. We have been vacuuming and dusting it but maybe it's contaminated?  I'm thinking I should whipe down all the books and maybe cover the bookcase with saran wrap. 

There is also a closet with louvered doors that I keep closed all the time. But there are clothes in there and some boxes…. 

I feel like I'm cleaning non stop but it's so endless!! And with a new spot I'm so discouraged  

Thanks for any advice!!!

-Rosie