Possible ringworm in new foster kittens :/

So I started noticing some hair loss on these three tabbies that I've had for about 10 days. There are small round patches with no hair, some are scaly/flaky. The white/orange has it the worse. Areas are face, back of ears and one has it on it's front legs.

I phoned the shelter today and I am taking them to a vet tomorrow. But.. I already KNOW it...it's classics signs.

Of course, I've been washing my hands after handling them but not my clothes. I hope none of my animals get it...

It doesn't surprise me...considering the condition they were in. But do you think it was the stress they were under why it took 10 days to show signs?

Not necessarily. Ringworm usually takes awhile before it presents itself enough for us to notice (although I don't know what their previous conditions were). My kitten had it and she didn't have any of the hair loss or flaking skin for almost 2 weeks. Have you experienced Ringworm before? Because the culture can take 10-14 days to come back. Since it is all the classic signs, I would get the shampoo (or other recommended product) from them tomorrow and just start on treatment ASAP. That sucks they are showing symptoms, and I really do hope none of your other pets (or you) gets it! 

Thanks for your reply . I do have a bit of experience with it. I fostered a bunch of Himalayans that were rescued from a horrible hoarding situation. They had everything...fleas, upper resp. and ringworm. Although, looking back..the ringworm didn't present right away either.

Only one of my cats got it but very lightly. I have three dogs and three cats of my own. We ended up keeping on of the kittens so, he did have access to my entire house at the time. These kittens have been only in my bathroom. I just worry, that I have spread the spores on my clothes.

I searched other threads on ringworm and I have ordered a product that was recommended called Pet's Best. It's a sulfur based product to treat the cat and surrounding areas. Hopefully, the vet will prescribe some meds as well.

So, took them to the vet. The vet really didn't say whether she thought it was or wasn't. Took a scraping and now I get to wait two to three weeks to find out! She doesn't plan on treating unless they get alot worse.

The whole experience ticked me off. They did the black light which was negative but I know that's only for some strains of ringworm.

It was a very nice young female vet but.. other than being nice...

She actually turned to her assistant and said "What do we usually do with Humane Society cats". What??

So then she was going to contact them to see if they wanted a scraping...well...hello ...why the heck do you think I'm here?? These kittens spent one or two nights in the shelter and came with two older kittens who are in the shelter now. Do you think they might want to know for sure if this is ringworm?

Sorry...I"m ranting but geez! Meanwhile, she says well, if they get really bad, you'll have to bring them back and we see if there's anything else going on and we might have have to treat them just incase.

Yes, because we have so much money to waste that we want to do mulitple visits for something you could give me now.

Levi68 said:

So, took them to the vet. The vet really didn't say whether she thought it was or wasn't. Took a scraping and now I get to wait two to three weeks to find out! She doesn't plan on treating unless they get alot worse.

The whole experience ticked me off. They did the black light which was negative but I know that's only for some strains of ringworm.

It was a very nice young female vet but.. other than being nice...

She actually turned to her assistant and said "What do we usually do with Humane Society cats". What??

So then she was going to contact them to see if they wanted a scraping...well...hello ...why the heck do you think I'm here?? These kittens spent one or two nights in the shelter and came with two older kittens who are in the shelter now. Do you think they might want to know for sure if this is ringworm?

Sorry...I"m ranting but geez! Meanwhile, she says well, if they get really bad, you'll have to bring them back and we see if there's anything else going on and we might have have to treat them just incase.

Yes, because we have so much money to waste that we want to do mulitple visits for something you could give me now.

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UGH that is awful! I would understand if they didn't want to treat it with oral antibiotics but that's crazy to me they wouldn't give you topical get or at least shampoo to get them started. Best case scenario: they don't have it and you wasted some of your time. Is there another vet your shelter works with? or is that your only option? I have never heard of Pet's Best so I'm not sure about that, but I suppose if your willing to try it and the product specifically says it's safe for kittens then it may be worth a shot.  I am always fearful of stuff like that and would probably stick to more old fashion methods but that's just me. 

As far as the other animals getting it: I know you had some concerns about not changing your clothes after interacting with the kittens but realistically if they do have it they have since they have been in your home. You weren't changing your clothes then so the odds of them having it are the same all around. If your other pets aren't showing symptoms I don't know if I would treat them, but again that's a judgement call as you don't want to get in the cycle of them all re-infecting each other. Also, did the Pet's Best say it was safe for both cats and dogs? Or are there two different formulas? Will the cat formula harm the dogs and vice versa? Just more things to consider since I'm sure you don't have enough on your plate. ; )

The Pet's Best is a spray that contains sulpher. There is cat and dog specific sprays. I think it's just changes on how big of a

spray bottle they give you. More product for bigger animals.

Instead of doing sulpher dips which some vets prescribe, you can spot treat with the cream and then spray the fur to kill spores.

There is also a large spray bottle to disinfect the area.