Ring worm trouble!

I have been researching online and I am pretty sure my cat has ring worm- the problem is, I can't get a vet visit for at least another week! In the meantime, does anyone have any suggestions or advice?

My cat is losing his hair on his back in one patch and it is red and scabby. He seems okay otherwise, i.e., eating etc.

I have a friend coming to stay to look after him when I go away for a few days and I do not want him to be panicked about staying because he will catch ringworm from my cat? The person at the vet's office just said to make sure wash hands with anti-bacterial soap, espcially when near litter box etc. I am also house-sitting for two other cats and do not want them to catch it!!

Any advice on the fungus in general and what I should do until I get to see my vet (on the 7th).

Thanks!!!

Well ringworm is one of those thing that can be transferred from cat/human/cat. Just take your vets advise and good luck with your baby.

As your Vet for a product called THE PROGRAM - it a one time oral treatment.

Well I've got a couple of things, as I just went through ringworm with one of my boys. First of all anytime you handle the cat make sure to wash you hands, because you can get it. If you happen to end up with it use some sort of over the counter anti-fungal medication & keep the spot(s) covered. Unfortunatly with out seeing your vet I'm not sure there is much that can be done for the kitty. My vet put both of my cats on an oral liquid anti-fungal medication, or I know there are some in pill form. Also, my cats had to be dipped in some stinky yellow stuff (something sulfate). This also was done by the vet. My vet did not choose to shave my cat, but some do depending on the length of the cats hair. Some vets treat with a topical solution, but my vet felt this treatment wasn't very effective as the fungus is actually carried on the hair of the animal. Also, I had to do a massive cleaning of my appartment. Basicly you disinfect everthing possbile & vacum everything else. I washed all my bedding & threw out a cat bed I had. (the article my vet gave me said throw out all cat bedding, but I only had the one bed.) The article said to buy a cheap vacum cleanner & throw it away after the ring worm is gone. Also it said to do a complete disinfection weekly & vacum daily until the ringworm is cleared up. So that pretty much covers everything I learned about ring worm from my experience. I know others feel it isn't necessary to do all of this, but I wanted it gone.

Yes you can catch ringworm from your cat. If you catch it, you can treat it with medicines such as Ting (anti-fungal medicines for athlete's feet work well). But I understand that it can be highly pervasive, and have to clean the heck out of your place when you are done with this. Bleach doesn't kill it.

There are web-sites out there that can give you loads of tips on how to treat you, your household and your cat. Unfortunately I'm not aware of anything you can effectively treat your cat with that doesn't come from a vet. Is there another vet you can get your baby to? I would not want to wait for treatment on this.

I cannot caution you enough about how contagious ringworm is. You need medication from your vet for your cat. He will prescribe pills and ointment (usually) If you get it, your doctor will give you griseofulvin ultra that you will need to take. I would say do not touch this cat unless absolutely necessary. Wear rubber gloves when you do handle the cat and wash your hands after every contact. Once you get ringworm, it is very difficult to get rid of it. It is not a worm at all but a fungus and it is rapid to spread. I would encourage you to call your vet and get the cat in quicker than the 8th-

I agree with the other posts. If you can't get to 'this vet', get to another one ASAP. It will ease your cat's discomfort, and lessen your chances of you catching it. I took my recent kitten, Tiger to the vet, and sure enough, he had ringworm. He gave Tiger a oral medication to treat it, and then also reccommended I give him and my other 3 cats a treatment called Revolution, (apparently it's good especially for kittens and puppies, but can be used also to treat cats and dogs). I found it interesting that ringworm wasn't a worm but a fungus. If it's a fungus, why is it called ringworm? "hhhmmmm....
Good Luck!

Thanks for all your advice. Unfortunately I live in NY and can only afford the Humane Society, which I can only take him to on the 7th. It is ridiculous I know to let this fester, but I simply do not have the money to take him somewhere else until then.

I am still not sure it is ringworm...but guessing it is. I am not sure what to do!!

If you go to Goggle and click on images then type in ringworm cats it will display pictures of ringworm and then perhaps you can compare it?

If your friend that is going to look after your cat has pets, he will need to know that your cat may have ringworm, for the sake of his pets. Ringworm is VERY contagious, as stated by others here. This way, your petsitter can take precautionary measures to avoid bringing the spores home to his own pets. If he has pets, I would recommend that he bring different clothes to change into after he's cared for your cat, and that he wash up thoroughly afterward. People can get it too, though it is easier for pets to catch it than people.

http://www.fabcats.org/is16.html

There is the possibility that it is something other than ringworm, but it's better not to take any chances.

A note from personal experience: there are several types of fungus that can cause ringworm, (although microsporum canis is the most common) and some are not detectable with a Wood's lamp. A culture is the best way to tell definitively not only if your cat has a fungal disease, but which type of fungus it is, which can help determine a battle plan. A culture can take a while to show results, so most vets will treat a cat based upon symptoms and a Wood's lamp evaluation in the meantime.

Program (the oral flea control tablet) has been used in some instances to help control ringworm. My vet used it for my cats, because the Griseofulvicin made them ill. It worked to clear them up when nothing else seemed to. Ask your vet about it, if he or she thinks your cat has ringworm.

*As for the cats you are sitting for, I would try to separate them from your cat if at all possible, and wash your hands before and after you pet them.

Thank you so much. I am cat sitting in different apartments so will make sure I have no contact with the other cats and wash my hands.

I will let my friend know staying in my apartment. Whatever it is on my cat, it seems to be healing....although there is a bald spot still. I have not go the ringworm so far!

Thanks for all your help.

I took Malachi to the vet and it turns out it wasn't ringworm, but a cut or burn (or allaergic reaction to something) and the vet gave me some topical cream for it. So all is well.

As an aside, I had read that vanilla essence is great for calming a cat before the vet, I did this, and he did seem a little calmer, but I have no idea about the reasoning behind it???

Thanks again!

I agree the anti flea med "Program" works well for ringworm, and most agree a second dose 2 to 4 weeks after the initial dose is recommended. Also any topica anti-fungal cream that contains 2% or more of miconazole nitrate applied twice a day on and around the affected areas (in cats and humans) is useful.

A 10% bleach solution will kill it on contact but should not be used on the cats themselves as bleach is highly toxic to cats. And if used on surfaces they touch it should be well rinsed.

I've handled 100's (many 100's) of cats over 14 months, in our rescue organization with maybe (guessing) 5% having active cases of ringworm. After all that contact I have finally got my first case of ringworm myself, a beauty of a circular mark on my forearm just past where a latex glove would reach, and it has not spread and I am sucessfully treating it with the cream mentioned above.

Once also one of my cats got a case of it (probably from a cat we were fostering for a few weeks) and we treated it with the cream and with Program. The other cat never caught it. None of the humans caught it, and it never spread on the affected cat (prompt treatment may have helped).

Honestly, if treated properly and quickly I don't think its such a big deal, except if there are children in the house because ringworm can be particualry bad in kids.

G Stein
I noticed you are in the East village. I'm in NYC (my cat rescue group, kittykind, is located in Petco at Union Square). I can recommend a good low cost vet if you wish. Just PM me if you are interested.