# Oh Dang, Ringworm



## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Im fostering 6 kittens and a momma cat. They have been living in my spotless garage since the kittens were two weeks old. Good food, good litter, toys, heating pad. Clean towels in their kennel daily. I was telling my friends this is so easy compared to all the sick kittens Ive taken care of in the past. I shouldnt of said that. 

Sunday I notice a bare spot by one of the kittens whiskers. Oh no... A volunteer took it to the vet for me yesterday. Its ring worm. Apparently the mother is a carrier even though she has no signs of it. The kitten is the runt and maybe his resistance is low. 

Well here we go......


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Ugh. Sorry. Sounds like you're doing everything right, too.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

Oh, heck, Merry! I know that's a real pain.


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## Erin (Nov 17, 2007)

I feel your pain!! 

Are you going to treat the mother as well? They only remain carriers for as long as there are live spores, which can be killed on carrier cats as well. 

How are you going to treat them? Are they handleable? I had to get a script for ace for Saki so she didn't kill me when I bathed her. It's working out Ok for now.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Im getting this info second hand. We have a booth at the Tubac Art Festival and Im organizing it. (plus working) Of coarse it happens the week Im doing this! so one of the volunteers for our TNR group took the kitten into the vet.

Im trying to put up the tent while the volunteer called from my garage wanting to know which kitten has the ring worm. The six kittens look so much alike and Im trying to describe him and where the ring worm is. I can tell this week is going to be crazy.

The vet said it was dormant in the mom but passed it to her kitten? Does that sound right? The mom is very skiddish semi feral so I will not be able to treat her. She will be release after she is done nursing the kittens & is spayed. 

None of the other kittens are showing signs of it. So Im holding my breath. So they gave me topical med Miconazole nit 2% cream and we're waiting on liquid meds to come in the mail. Giant bottle. Not sure of the name of it yet.

Were going to bath the kitten. I just didnt get to do it tonight since it was one of those days. I think Im getting the flu. Too much on my platter.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Erin said:


> I feel your pain!!
> 
> Are you going to treat the mother as well? They only remain carriers for as long as there are live spores, which can be killed on carrier cats as well.
> 
> How are you going to treat them? Are they handleable? I had to get a script for ace for Saki so she didn't kill me when I bathed her. It's working out Ok for now.


I got the liquid med for ringworm. L-Griseofulvin Micro. Its fish flavor! Yippee.. now I dont have to mix it with baby food ham to get it down him. The hair has started growing back on the whisker area. Good news also is the whiskers didnt fall out.

The mother is so skittish I would never be able to bath her and do treatment. For some reason the vet said shes a carrier but has a resistance to it herself since shes survived out of doors this long. :?: 

Ive realized alot of vets arent familar with ringworm and dont have good info. Id probably rely on info here than I would from some vets!

I havent seen signs of it on the other kittens so havent treated them. The bad news is, while trapping last week, we trapped 4 more kittens~ 3 weeks old ~ and took them in to the vet. They have ring worm also. :evil: We are going to foster these guys and get them adopted out.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

Good luck, Merry! You are so brave..and so good to the cats!


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## Erin (Nov 17, 2007)

Mitts & Tess said:


> The vet said it was dormant in the mom but passed it to her kitten? Does that sound right?


Yes and no. The spores don't really lay "dormant", but they can stay alive for up to 18 months. A hardy cat can be exposed to the spores and not respond, thus being a "carrier" by passing it on to other, more susceptible cats. It doesn't surprise me that a mother cat is free of lesions, but the kittens are in the middle of an active outbreak. Kittens, as you know, don't have fully developed immune systems, which means they are very susceptible to getting ringworm when exposed. 

The mother cat HAS to be treated, otherwise the kittens can continue to be exposed, and can continue to get active outbreaks of the lesions (or any other cat for that matter, because all it takes is one infected hair to fly off and land on another cat, or get carried in the house on your clothes). If she is completely unhandle-able, I would urge the vet to give you another prescription for the oral anti-fungals, or I would urge the vet for a prescription of acepromazine. It's a commonly used tranquilizer that you can give the mother in her food (if she's not still nursing the kittens) that will enable you to bath her. I've had really good look with miconozole nitrate (2%) shampoos.. there are several brands sold at vet offices, but make sure that is the active ingredient. Dermozol is a popular brand. She'd need at least 3 or 4 baths to be considered "spore free", spacing out the baths by about 3 or 4 days.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Thanks Erin. Wealth of information.


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## LoveMyBlueEyedGirl (Jan 25, 2008)

In the past 6 months, I've gotten ringworm three times from fostering kittens for the humane society. Apparently, I have a very weak immune system, because no one else in the household got it (except one of the dogs), and I still occasionally get one or two rings even when there aren't any of the foster cats around. YUCK.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Were doing a 100 cat colony TNR and just got in 3 black 4 month old kittens with ringworm. Its rampant down here! We will be experts before we are thru with this colony. Were adopting them out. I hope people like black kittens cuz they are the hardest to adopt out. Seem like there are alot of black cats in this colony.

The Griseofulvin Micro withe the topical has had immediate results. Which is a possitive. I havent contacted any personnally which Im grateful for. Knock on wood.


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