Feral FLV kitten with ringworm-- help?!

Hi everyone, in early July I found a three week old rejected kitten under a friends grill, and it was far too precious to not do something. So, I brought it home and took it to the doctor, who treated him/her for the worms and parasites, but after the treatment seemed ineffective, it was taken back to the doctor where it tested positive for FLV. Now at approximately seven weeks, the kitten has ringworm. It went to the vet and has shampoo and wipes, but it doesn't seem to be getting better... tonight, I found the tip of it's tail in my bed...

I guess I was hoping for some advice or personal experiences from someone who has had a kitten with ringworm. Did it seem to get worse before it got better? Where is the line between a moderate and severe case? 

Thank you!

First of all, do not automatically assume the kitten really has FLV. They can test positive for it through mother's antibodies but they may not actually have it themselves. I would not test again until six months. You likely have a false positive.

I am hoping that's the case and I scheduled a vet appointment three months after the results came back in positive, but the cats "grandpa" was put to sleep a little less than a year ago because of a cancerous tumor on its paw, and it's kitten, the mother, has looked sickly since the first time I ever remember seeing it come around.

I did have a 4 month old kitten with ringworm.  My advice would be to read as much as you can, but don't be freaked out by some of the cleaning suggestions.  (I swear.....telling people to burn infected bedding and toys.....why not just put it in the dumpster....LOL.)  I did vacuum tons, and do laundry tons but it still spread to the humans in our family and my kids had it in their scalp which meant potentially dangerous oral meds for the kids.    And this was with the kitten living in isolation and thorough hand washings after each visit.  I think we should have changed our clothes after visiting with him since the spores attach to your clothes. 

One thing I wish my vet had recommended was regular baths with a medicated shampoo.  I didn't learn about this treatment until he was almost over it, but it sounds quite effective.  Also, diluted apple cider vinegar applied to the spots a few times a day seemed to help but didn't keep new spots from appearing.  I think the shampooing would have helped with that.  I used anti-fungal cream like the vet suggested and he was on oral meds for 5-6 weeks....not really sure how much those helped.  Oh, and good nutrition and lots of love for kitty may help boost his immune system....important for fighting the infection.  Good luck.

If your kitten is carrying the FeLV virus, it will take a long time for you to rid him of ringworm. As I'm sure the vet has told you, he is too small and weak to have the oral medication, which is by far the easiest way to get rid of this blight. Topical treatment takes months, and would take twice as long for an immune compromised cat. 

Has the kitten been shaved at the infected areas?  Is the shampoo specific to ringworm treatment? They used to use sulphur dips which smelled dreadful, although very effective for FIV+ cats for instance, but they've moved to less pungent treatments now. I always used Lamisil ointment and found it effective.

I cared for a Persian kitten (someone had bought him from a backyard breeder then offered him free in the newspaper when she found treating for ringworm too much for her) who had ringworm over about 1/8th of his body. He was undeweight and fragile so could be treated only topically.  My vet went balistic when I told him because he was convinced it would pass on to my other cats, but it didn't and I didn't get it either.  I'd done quite a bit of isolation pediatric nursing and used methods learned. I bought some very cheap slip on clothing and placed a pedal trash bin outside his room. I used paper plates for his food and nothing that went into his room came out, except my clothing which I stripped off completely and put in the trash can as I left the room. It took a couple of months for him to be clear.

With other cats, I've used isolation, changing my clothes and using hand sanitizer as soon as I leave their room, lots of Chlorox (which I abominate because the smell makes me sick), and daily loads of massive amounts of laundry.

I need to add that I took care of a very sick cat, also immune compromised, who died weeks after being diagnosed with ringworm. Her body couldn't deal with one more problem.  I hope your kitten is strong enough to fight all these problems and come out of this whole and well.

Thank you for taking care of this kitten and I wish you lots of luck.