# Can you get ringworm from a cat scratch?



## Carmel

Hmm... yeah, looks like I have it, exactly where a cat scratched me roughly two weeks ago, which would be the right time frame from it to develop. *sigh* I've never had anything like athlete's foot in my life... guess there's a first time for everything. I was reading about it online though and I don't see a mention of cat scratches leading to ringworm, but it looks like that's what I have.


----------



## MinkaMuffin

The internet says you can get ringworm from a cat and that they are common carriers, but the internet isn't always right. *shrug*


----------



## MowMow

Pretty sure you can get it from anything that has it.


----------



## furryfriends251

I've never gotten ringworm from cows that have it, but then again, I don't typically go around hugging cows either.

I have gotten it from my cats twice. It has to come in contact with a cut, if my understanding is correct, in order for you to become infected. Cats can sometimes be carriers of ringworm, though they have no visible signs of it themselves.


----------



## RachandNito

YES! You can definitely get ringworm from a cat. And from a cat scratch. If the cat had it, and it was itchy it could have been scratching an itchy ringworm patch, got some of it under it's claws, and transferred it to you. 

Luckily its fairly easy to treat.


----------



## bkitty

Ringworm is a fungus & extremely contagious. Get an antifungal from your Dr. to treat it for you and you should contact your vet for a treatment recommendation for your cat. You are going to have your work cut out for you in getting your house clean - since it is a fungus & spores spread easily which leads to reinfection. Borax and bleach work for sheets & bedding and for hard surface floors.


----------



## Carmel

Thanks everyone!

I know it's really contagious, have two cats and a dog (and a puppy that comes around almost every day) so I'm being really careful now that I am pretty sure I have it. I was being careful before I knew I had it too since I was wondering why the area of my scratch was getting itchy when it was mostly healed... I'll be cleaning my bedding every night from now on too. I already bought some stuff for ringworm last night, I didn't need to go to my doctor for it, I will if it doesn't start healing in two weeks. I'm going to look into getting a black light. Hopefully it's the type that glows green with a black light...

It's on my chest so it's usually covered by clothes, it's not like a lot of those horror pictures online either, there's one "ring" and it's kind of small. I didn't get it from my pets, I got it from a cat at the cat sanctuary so I'll treat my pets if they get it but not before then.


----------



## RachandNito

I must either be extremely lucky, careful, or resistant to ringworm because we have had a severe outbreak in one of our cat rooms at the shelter. Those cats are all isolated while treatment is being done- no cat goes in or out, but they still need to be cleaned and cared for so us workers have to go in there. I'm very careful, I wear a special set of clothes and I always change before leaving and shower as soon as I get home. So far so good. And the ringworm is subsiding, yay!


----------



## Nora B

Carmel said:


> I didn't get it from my pets, I got it from a cat at the cat sanctuary so I'll treat my pets if they get it but not before then.


Sounds like you've got a good handle on things. From personal experience as far as OTC creams go, I like Lotrimin Ultra. Years ago we used Lotrimin AF (now available as generic & costs way less) and it would usually work but did sometimes take a long time, the newer Lotrimin Ultra works much more quickly and with less applications daily.

It would also be a really good idea to let the sanctuary know asap - the cat who infected you is likely in need of treatment as well.


----------



## Carmel

Nora B said:


> Sounds like you've got a good handle on things. From personal experience as far as OTC creams go, I like Lotrimin Ultra. Years ago we used Lotrimin AF (now available as generic & costs way less) and it would usually work but did sometimes take a long time, the newer Lotrimin Ultra works much more quickly and with less applications daily.
> 
> It would also be a really good idea to let the sanctuary know asap - the cat who infected you is likely in need of treatment as well.


I ended up with Canesten, I don't remember seeing Lotrimin at the store. I need to apply it twice daily with it clearing up within two weeks supposedly... how often do you need to apply Lotrimin Ultra?

I did contact the cat sanctuary, I said I wouldn't be coming in this week and told told them why, I can't remember which cat scratched me but I mentioned the two highly likely ones - they're both black cats, one takes a swipe at you when you stop petting it and the other swipes at you if you pet it more than a few times. You can't win! I hope they'll look into it, the cats do have leukemia, that might complicate their treatment or cause them all to have ringworm due to lowered immune systems... that'd be a lovely break out to deal with.


----------



## swimkris

It is contagious and spread through spores like some others mentioned. Certainly treat your spot with the anti-fungal creams and wash your bedding/robes/towels, but I wouldn't worry too much, especially since the spot is under your clothes. Simone developed some ringworm about a week after I adopted him, and the vet just gave me some pills to give him. Pumpkin caught it a few weeks later, and I had to pill her for a few days. After that I've had no problem with any of us getting it. The only reason Pumpkin caught it was because she liked to groom Simone and snuggle with him when he was a tiny kitten. I was careful to wash my hands after petting them, but I never really went through the whole house sanitation thing.


----------



## Nora B

Carmel said:


> I ended up with Canesten, I don't remember seeing Lotrimin at the store. I need to apply it twice daily with it clearing up within two weeks supposedly... how often do you need to apply Lotrimin Ultra?


Ok - how telling is it that to double check both types of Lotrimin all I had to do was look in my sons bathroom...
Lotrimin AF - 'Clotrimazole' - both walmart and walgreens have decent generics available. apply 2x day per package, the md had us using it 3x a day, up to 4x daily when my boys were little and got wet often
Lotrimin Ultra - butenafine hydrochloride - this is the newer stuff, I wouldn't use in on a little one without md approval (the other stuff you can pretty much smear on anybody) but the application is either 2x daily for 1week or 1x daily for 4wk, the once daily is easier for me to monitor and the rashes clear up within a few days in my experience.

The pills may be an option for some, our family md doesn't like the liver workload they produce but that is person specific.

As to the cats - all my info there is second hand, thus far I've only had to deal with it in humans but the rescue I work with has hard core preventative measures due to some previous horror stories and how contagious it is between cats.


----------



## Maggie the Cat

I would keep it covered with a bandaid after you put the cream on it, to help keep from scratching while you sleep or spreading it otherwise. Also, keep treating the area for about a week after you _think _it's completely gone. It can fade away and visually look cured, but still be there and come back if you stop treatment too soon.


----------

