Seemingly healthy 4month old, but mysterious bald patch on his leg?

londonople

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Oct 5, 2014
Messages
5
Purraise
1



My cat is from a shelter. He had all his shots and has be dewormed.

He does sneeze every once in a while, but no discharge or yellow/green snot.

He doesn't seem to itch, but there is the bald, hard "scab" looking thing that has been their since he was adopted.

I don't have a lot of money, I already just took my dog to the vet to have all his shots updated. My dog has been sneezing too. I don't know if it's allergy or sickness.

I am concerned for the scab in my kitten because it seems to be getting bigger (but I'm a paranoid pet mama).

The cat is extremely active and eats/drinks regularly.

What should I do?

Here's one last picture with my finger in the picture, so you can see the scale/size
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #2

londonople

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Oct 5, 2014
Messages
5
Purraise
1
Wait, I realize I uploaded the same picture twice. Sorry. But you get the idea. The scaley lesion looks gray
 

stephenq

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jun 19, 2003
Messages
5,672
Purraise
944
Location
East Coast, USA
Wait, I realize I uploaded the same picture twice. Sorry. But you get the idea. The scaley lesion looks gray
Hi and welcome to TCS!

Given that your cat came from a shelter, and given the photos and your description I think one has to strongly suspect ringworm, a fungus not unlike athlete's foot (it is NOT a worm).

Typically vets would do a skin scrape culture, and while waiting the 10 days for a result begin a treatment on the presumption that its ringworm. Treatment is not expensive and can include something as simple as Limosil OTC cream applied 2-3 times daily to the scab.  Vets can also prescribe an oral version of this medication (Terbinafine) and in some cases a dip/shampoo.

Most shelters have some sort of post-adoption medical policy.   Contact your shelter immediately and find out what their policy is (unless you have a copy attached to your adoption agreement (very possible).  Policies can include free treatment for a specified period of time, or discounted care.

If the scab is growing as you say, that increases the chance that its ringworm, and if new bald scabs appear that further increases the chances.  Ringworm spreads, and if you delay (and if its ringworm) your cat could get a very bad case of it with lesions all over the body.  It can also spread to you (typically as round red welts on the skin) so I would advise you to wash your hands well after handling the kitten.  It is not dangerous to your cat (nor to healthy people) but it is unsightly and slow to treat, so treatment should begin quickly.

Ringworm isn't transmitted to healthy people easily, but it can be transmitted. I've had it a couple of times and I use a topical ointment (Lamosil) and it was very helpful.

Don't panic. Contact your shelter.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #4

londonople

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Oct 5, 2014
Messages
5
Purraise
1
I bought the OTC cream last night and I ordered shampoo online. I am very thankful for your thorough answer! How do I keep the cream on without the cat licking or rubbing it off? Can I bandage it?

I plan to contact the shelter as soon as they open. It's not for a few more hours unfortunately. I already took him back once for a second deworming treatment. I hope they'll help with the fungus. If prefer an oral medication, since he is so little.

I am already itchy >_
 

beccagore

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Sep 12, 2014
Messages
39
Purraise
2
Location
IL.
It's ringworm. The barn kitten I rescued had the exact same thing. Unfortunately I couldn't get her to the vet when I found it, but when I called the vet she told me to treat it with cider vinegar on the spot, and in a light bath, and a low dose of foot fungus cream. It killed the ringworm right away, and she started to grow new fur in a week!
 

stephenq

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jun 19, 2003
Messages
5,672
Purraise
944
Location
East Coast, USA
I bought the OTC cream last night and I ordered shampoo online. I am very thankful for your thorough answer! How do I keep the cream on without the cat licking or rubbing it off? Can I bandage it?

I plan to contact the shelter as soon as they open. It's not for a few more hours unfortunately. I already took him back once for a second deworming treatment. I hope they'll help with the fungus. If prefer an oral medication, since he is so little.

I am already itchy >_< I am sure I'll get it because my weak immune system. I guess we are in this together lol

I am concerned for my dog. I can't keep them apart. They love to play and cuddle. Can I shampoo my dog with the same stuff for preventative care?
I can't speak to cider vinegar or your shampoo.  The only dip that i know that vets use is a lime dip, available commercially.  How to keep your cat from licking the cream is an issue, you could cover it in vet wrap (example link below) or rub the cream in well so most of it is absorbed.

If you don't have reddish welts on your skin (they would be obvious) then the itchiness probably means nothing.  However if you have a compromised immune system then you should remove the kitten from your home and return it to the shelter asap.

http://reviews.petco.com/3554/11102...adherent-pet-bandage-wrap-reviews/reviews.htm
 

lamiatron

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Nov 18, 2013
Messages
966
Purraise
136
Location
Queens, NYC
ugh. That definitely looks like ring worm. Its hassle to get rid of...and I recently just went through this with my most recent kitty that was found in the streets. I even got it from him too, as I was the only person that was handling him. Understand your dog might get it from your kitten, so please minimize, or completely stop all contact between the kitten and anyone else in the house, and try to keep your cat confined to one room with all the things his things. I know your dog and kitten get along, and they love to play, but you're essentially asking for more head ache and costs down the line, if your dog gets ring worm.

I took my cat to the vet and the vet prescribed some oral medication that cost me 76 dollars for a tiny bottle, which my cat didn't even keep down. He would throw up every time i gave it to him. I purchased a special shampoo online. It was recommened to me by a member here on TCS and it has helped my cat a lot. I'll link below. The thing with the shampoo is you have to bathe your cat 3 times a week with it. He's gonna hate the baths, but its going to help him. In addition to that, i applied yeast infection medication on any visible sores he had, and I had...because the active ingredient needed to get rid of the ring worm is miconazole. when you buy one of those 3 day packs of the yeast infection med, you have the prefilled applicators that contain this active ingredient at 4% and the tube to be applied topically that comes with that contains 2% of the active ingredient. I used all of it on me and my cat. You don't have to buy a high end brand of yeast infection medication, you just have to buy one with that active ingredient, miconazole. 

this is how i applied the meds on my guy, i would set his food down, in front of him so he can see it. then i would pick him us and apply to all visible sores/patches. Glob it on nice and thick, but not too much and then set him down to eat. He was so concerned with eating, that he forgot he had that stuff on him, and that bought me at least a few minutes of that stuff being on him...he needs it on the sores for at least 5 mins for absorption. I did this twice a day, every time before he ate. If your kitten is a heavy sleeper, you could apply it on him while he's asleep, hopefully he wont wake up. 

in conjunction with this, I bathed my cat with the special shampoo 2-3 times a week. He hated it, but i did that for 2 weeks, and his sores/patches started to clear up, and he had fur regrowth over his sores.. I also bathed my other two cats, just in case they were exposed to it, with the same shampoo, like once a week for 2 weeks. So you might want to use this special shampoo on your dog as well. 

Link for Shampoo:

 http://www.revivalanimal.com/KetoChlor-Shampoo.html.

I would suggest you buy this, since I have experience with it, and buy it from the website provided...don't bother looking for this on Amazon, you can't find it. Don't bother looking for this "cheaper" else where because all other websites require an RX from the vet before you can buy. This website did not require an RX. Trust me it will cost you more than the bottle price on the website, because you're going to want to overnight this thing so that you can get it ASAP. That's what I did. 

Definitely try to get your kitty to the vet, as the vet can provide the best advise on how to go forward with this, based on your cats age and weight. My Gunther is 6 months old now and over 5 lbs...just FYI. I'm just writing down for you what I had done, and what worked for me. Gunther was neutered on Sept 27, and at that time the vet confirmed for me that his ringworm had cleared up, and he didn't have it anymore. The vet used a black light or a green light..its a special type of light the vet uses to see ringworm on the skin and fur of your cat, and if he has ringworm, it will be a glow in the dark color...and you'll see it.

I do want to point out, your cat might, or might not have ringworm. Since you mentioned that your dog is sneezing too, it could be something else, maybe an allergic reaction to something. So before you do anything, try to get your cat to a vet, I know that when I adopted my cat from a shelter, He was given a free vet visit voucher to follow up with his post op progress (because he was neutered upon adoption from the shelter, this was my other cat Charlie), you should have one too..and at that time during that free vet appt, you can ask your vet to confirm if what he has is indeed ringworm. Ask your vet for the light method, its the easiest and fastest way to tell...some vets will try to do a culture, and that costs a lot of $$$ and the results take forever to come in. 

Good luck to you!!!!
 
Last edited:

stephenq

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jun 19, 2003
Messages
5,672
Purraise
944
Location
East Coast, USA
The woodlamp (black light) method of ringworm diagnosis works about 10% of the time. If you get a positive result then your set, but if it's negative that can't be trusted with the lamp and you have to proceed with a culture if you want a diagnosis. Sometimes RW is so obvious you might forgoe the culture but regardless your shelter should help you.
 

melothekittycat

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Oct 6, 2014
Messages
3
Purraise
1



My cat is from a shelter. He had all his shots and has be dewormed.

He does sneeze every once in a while, but no discharge or yellow/green snot.

He doesn't seem to itch, but there is the bald, hard "scab" looking thing that has been their since he was adopted.

I don't have a lot of money, I already just took my dog to the vet to have all his shots updated. My dog has been sneezing too. I don't know if it's allergy or sickness.

I am concerned for the scab in my kitten because it seems to be getting bigger (but I'm a paranoid pet mama).

The cat is extremely active and eats/drinks regularly.

What should I do?

Here's one last picture with my finger in the picture, so you can see the scale/size
 

melothekittycat

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Oct 6, 2014
Messages
3
Purraise
1
My cat is from a shelter to, he is new. In the papers that came with him it has a paper about ring worms. They are not worms and they do create bald patches so i would google ring worms.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #11

londonople

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Oct 5, 2014
Messages
5
Purraise
1
It's ringworm. The barn kitten I rescued had the exact same thing. Unfortunately I couldn't get her to the vet when I found it, but when I called the vet she told me to treat it with cider vinegar on the spot, and in a light bath, and a low dose of foot fungus cream. It killed the ringworm right away, and she started to grow new fur in a week!
I may try the apple vinegar, thank you!

I can't speak to cider vinegar or your shampoo.  The only dip that i know that vets use is a lime dip, available commercially.  How to keep your cat from licking the cream is an issue, you could cover it in vet wrap (example link below) or rub the cream in well so most of it is absorbed.

If you don't have reddish welts on your skin (they would be obvious) then the itchiness probably means nothing.  However if you have a compromised immune system then you should remove the kitten from your home and return it to the shelter asap.


http://reviews.petco.com/3554/11102...adherent-pet-bandage-wrap-reviews/reviews.htm
I would not return a cat over something like ringworm >_
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #12

londonople

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Oct 5, 2014
Messages
5
Purraise
1
The woodlamp (black light) method of ringworm diagnosis works about 10% of the time. If you get a positive result then your set, but if it's negative that can't be trusted with the lamp and you have to proceed with a culture if you want a diagnosis. Sometimes RW is so obvious you might forgoe the culture but regardless your shelter should help you.
I believe it is probably ringworm. I researched as soon as I saw it, and then posted on here since I wasn't sure. But now I am 100% sure it is ringworm. Even if it's not ringworm, I know it's fungal. But I'll see the black light if it becomes necessary.

My cat is from a shelter to, he is new. In the papers that came with him it has a paper about ring worms. They are not worms and they do create bald patches so i would google ring worms.
Thank you, I think at this point I have read about 50 different pages on ringworm fungus lol. Thanks!
 

lamiatron

TCS Member
Super Cat
Joined
Nov 18, 2013
Messages
966
Purraise
136
Location
Queens, NYC
I may try the apple vinegar, thank you!
I would not return a cat over something like ringworm >_< we have one tiny struggling animal shelter in my whole town. They can't really prevent the ringworm there. I don't blame them. I am home with the cat like 80% of the time. I am sure with constant decontamination cleaning and shampooing the cat will be enough to clear my house from spores and clear the cats fungal infection. I would never take an animal back to a shelter over something like this.
I bought some shampoo already online before I saw your reply. It has the active ingredient micanazole. It was $29 for 500ml of it. But thank you!


I will definitely bathe him a lot. I understand the what the fungus is now, and that it can be reoccurring if I let any spores survive, up to 18months. To me, it's just a little different from getting a nail fungal infection from a salon. Could take a while, but with patience and effort, everything should be fine.

I will also try applying it while I feed him!

My local animal shelter is very small and not the best. Most of the pets there have risk of fungal infections. There is no "free vet care" post adoption. Could just be because it's the only shelter in my town and it's really not well funded. I can't blame them for anything though. I knew the cat was meant for me. He's also a black cat and was sent to pet smart (where I adopted him). And when the shelters send cats to petsmart here, it means they're not getting adopted at the shelter, and will be euthanized if not adopted. He was purring and headbunting me and my dog through the glass. I knew I had to have him. So I am just happy to have him. I don't care if the fungal thing takes months! I would do anything for him.

I will take him to the vet if I think he needs culture or oral medication. Otherwise, the shelter told me I was doing everything right with the ringworm ointment and the shampoo. If in three weeks it not clearing up, I will definitely take him to the vet.

Thanks for your through response !
Thanks for saving this guy :)

Once he is 100% better, he will prove to be an amazing companion for you and your dog :) just in the meantime be sure to keep them separate. 

I have 3 cats, 2 shelter cats, and 1 I found in the streets like 2-3 months ago. One of the shelter cats I adopted, she was a former stray, and she was this tiny little black kitty, at the time she was 2 months old, sitting in the back corner of the cage. When the worker took her out, she clearly did not want to be any where near me. But when i held her...she just cling to me, she started purring, I think because she was scared and trying to comfort herself, and she looked up at me as if to say "please don't hurt me". it broke my heart. as the shelter worker took her away from me, she scratched me really bad on my chest, cus she was clinging on to me, and that's when i knew, it was love at first scratch. LOL. This one also had ringworm when i brought her home, along with a slew of all these other issues. for the first two to three months I had her she was just constantly sick, in and out of the vets, needed to be syringe fed, had worms, had diarreah, needed to have her bum cleaned and wiped down every other day because she never groomed herself, the list goes on and on.. But once she came out of it, although she's a skittish kitty, and I don't want to say this out loud, but she's my favorite cat. she's my best friend. And i'm glad you found yourself another best friend :)
 

stephenq

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Jun 19, 2003
Messages
5,672
Purraise
944
Location
East Coast, USA
Sorry i wasn't clear, i too wouldn't return a cat for ringworm, but you indicated you have a "weak immune system".  Now I can't say what that means, but i took it to mean a compromised immune system and if that was true then having ringworm at home is a poor health risk and that would be a reason to return the cat.
 

stazie

TCS Member
Young Cat
Joined
Sep 28, 2014
Messages
25
Purraise
2
Location
Texas
Londonople, My husband found a kitten, maybe 5 weeks old, at the rr yard and we spent a lot, LOT of money on him b/c of worms in the first year.  The kitten had a bald spot on his ear which remains today. I wish I had tried ACV and an athlete's foot cream first.

If you have a travel inflatable blow-up neck pillow, put it on kitty and see if it keeps him from being able to reach his paw and licking it. If it doesn't, add another pillow. It's a luxurious Elizabethan collar---. 

And I understand your frustration with the internet.  That's why we're all here on thecatsite.com.

Good luck, and let us know how it's going.
 

roguethecat

TCS Member
Alpha Cat
Joined
Mar 25, 2014
Messages
684
Purraise
197
Location
San Francisco Bay Area
Oberon had something similar, only much larger, a huge portion of his side, back when he was homeless. It went away completely after a few weeks of a much better diet and me rubbing on emu oil once or twice a day (he also got Revolution put on against whatever inhabitants he had on him, since I let him inside - not sure if that had anything to do with the bald patch though).
 
Top