New kitten with ringworm-- ick!

[CheshireVal]

We got a cute little tortie kitten from the Humane Society two weeks ago. First she had an upper respiratory infection which we had to start giving meds for.

Then she developed a scaly hairless patch on her head. Took her to the vet AGAIN and he thinks it's ringworm. He gave us some ointment but didn't want to give us anything else until the culture came back (which will take a week) and he knew for sure that's what it was.

The problem is, I've got another cat (Sebastian), and a small apartment so separating the two of them is going to be impossible. I know Chloe is going to give it to Sebastian. I'm afraid she'll give it to me and my bf!

Anyone ever dealt with ringworm in a kitty before? Any tips or advice? How long can I expect to be dealing with this? The websites I've found make it sound horrible!!!!!!!

 

[Pop Daddy]

give the cat to someone as a gift

 

[IceQueen777]

Our new kitten (who we found as a stray) had ringworm. It sounds just like yours...we started noticing scaly hairless patches on his face, and a few on his paws.

My DD did catch it from him, but it is no big deal. I just had to put Lotrimin cream (over the counter medication) on her sores each day. It went away pretty quickly.

For the kitten, we had to put an anti-fungal spray on the hairless patches and bath him twice a week with an anti-fungal shampoo. It went away after about two weeks, but we still had to treat him for two weeks beyond that just to make sure it doesn't come back. We have a dog also, and he did not catch it, but the dog usually stays away from the kitten. (He is an old dog and doesn't care for any other animals).

Ask your vet if they have the spray anti-fungal for the cat. I imagine it would be easier to apply than the cream. The kind I have is by Vet Solutions and is just a clotrimazole solution.

Ringworm is an infection caused by the same fungus that causes athlete's foot.

 

[lucky_bunni]

It'll clear up pretty quick. The thing to worry about is getting it yourself. When I got my kitten we got her checked out first thing and found out she had ringworm. However, apparently she'd ALREADY passed it on to me as I developed a "ring" right under my arm. It cleared up with Lotrimin, but it was gross to think I had it! It's not actually a worm but a fungus.

 

[IceQueen777]

I would just keep some Lotrimin on hand just in case. My DD's sores started out looking like a mosquito bite (small, red) and then slowly changed to look like a ring.

I once noticed a small red spot on my arm, and I started treating it immediately with Lotrimin. It never did change appearance and get bigger, so either I stopped it before it got worse, or it was just a mosquito bite after all. But I was glad I treated it as ringworm just in case.

 

[CheshireVal]

Thanks for all the advice! You guys don't make it sound nearly as bad as the stuff I've found around the web. What a relief!

I did buy some Lotrimin yesterday, just in case. I've been psychologically itchy ever since this all started.

We bathed my other cat with the anti fungal shampoo (boy did he enjoy that) just as a precaution. So far he hasn't developed any scaly spots but he does like to wrestle with the kitten so I'm sure it's just a matter of time......

 

[EsmeraldaX]

Hope it clears up quick.

And I hope you don't catch it. I caught it once. It was not fun. But not very serious and I recall it clearing up pretty quickly.

 

[tiggersmom2]

Just count your blessings that you don't have a persian with ringworm!!! I have three and they all got it!!! The lotion/ointment would not work on them and they had to take oral meds - this was AWFUL because these meds affect the liver and they had to go for blood tests every three days!!!!!

My pocket book was really thin after this incident - but I am happy to say all kitties are well and ringworm free!