Ringworm in multiple cat household - update 9/27

[Lizzie]

As many of you know, ReachoutRescue is dealing with 3 kittens with ringworm. I just found out this morning that I have one kitten with ringworm, and myself. The kitten went into immediate isolation and I've taken the morning off work in order to start a major laundry and housecleaning, and take the kitten and his siblings to the vet. I can see from the web sites I've visited that treatment is quite a long haul for cats. I also found out that the drug I was given years ago is no longer available to cats, due to commercial reasons! I don't want to imagine this going through my household, I would feel that I was going mad.

My only experiences with ringworm have been when I had only one cat, and when I fostered a cat that I knew ahead of time had the infection and I practiced isolation nursing on him immediately. Have any of you dealt with this where you found one cat in a multiple cat household has ringworm? Did you treat all the others even if they were symptom free? Did cats who didn't have any or had little contact with the infected cat get ringworm?

[catnapper]

I know Jen had it last year. She's at work now, but I'm sure she'll be happy to tell you about her ringworm woes. You might do a search to find out too - she posted a lot on here about it.

[Laura's Babies]

The only experience I have with them is I had out of state company one time that brought her cat... After she went home she called to tell me her cat had them and to watch my cats... I already had one on my leg and couldn't figure out where I got it from but my cats didn't get them and I think she was there about a week with her cat.

[kuhio98]

Yeppers, it was Jen who had 20+ cats to treat.
From Jen's threads, it sounds like you're in for a world of fun....

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthre...light=ringworm

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthre...light=ringworm

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthre...light=ringworm

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthre...light=ringworm

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthre...light=ringworm

[Lizzie]

Swear! Swear! Curse! Curse! Double Curse!

I just read through the posts from Jen, thank you Lisa.

I just stripped the living room of comforters, throws, blankets, cushions, pillows, etc. and the mound filled the shower staff in the bathroom where I have my washing machine. I've always had loads of comforting soft stuff for the cats to snuggle into and now I'm really going to be paying the price. I will spray clean surfaces as much as I can before I leave for work, not Clorox which I don't have because the smell makes me retch. That kitten has been everywhere, but eveywhere, never keeps still. The vet doesn't have an opening until 3:20pm and I have to go work since my boss is out on vacation and was relying on my being there every day while she is out. I was about to say that it never rains, but it pours when I looked out of the window, and there it is - raining!

If the ringworm has spread to downstairs via me, then I don't know what I'm going to do because I have three barely social ferals there.

I don't know where the ringworm came from since I've had the kittens for about 6 weeks, but the fungus is everywhere so I could have brought it into the house.

[Killearn Kitties]

Very best of luck in dealing with it. It sounds an awful lot of work.

[Maya & Inka's mommy]

My cats had ringworm too! A few weeks after we brought Zazou home from the shelter, Inka and Maya got ringworm. Zazou was a carrier!! My hubby also had 2 spots on his cheek!
I had to give all 3 cats bath , every 5 days (4 times!! )

Those baths were a real nightmare ...




Have fun....

[Lizzie]

Thanks, everyone, for telling me about your living nightmares and rather gleefully looking forward to me posting pictures of multiple wet cats!! Well, I wondered how I was going to lose that last 10 pounds that seemed to be sitting around my middle and not wanting to budge, guess it will all go from cleaning and cat baths. I'm not going to do this alone, even though it will cost me. I know a tech who can subdue any cat and I will hire her to come and help me. I'd rather lose the money than my arms.

[jenluckenbach]

I feel SO bad for you, but I made it through and so shall you.

Program flea tablets!

1 large dog sized tablet per cat. They are palatable and 9 out of 10 will simply eat it. (broken up into about 4 pieces) Or mix with food for the subborn ones. Or just pop the pieces like any other pill.

So hopefully your ferals will enjoy the taste and just EAT it!

Wash your hands with Betadine!! Soap and water is not enough.

Bathe any cat with lesions. Malaseb shampoo once a week for a month.

[jenluckenbach]

Any type of fungal (over the counter) cream "for athelte's foot/jock itch" on all lesions twice a day for a month.

Bleach is the only cleaner that will kill the fungus/spores. So even though I understand how you feel about the smell (and believe me I DO!) bleach all hard surfaces! over and over again!

[emily_the_spoiled]

They have bleach products that don't smell like regular bleach. I wonder if those would do the trick for you?

[Lizzie]

In order to use bleach, I'd have to wear a ventilator night and day, which would scare the cats and be very uncomfortable to sleep in. I will order a grapefruit seed extract product online, it's very concentrated and I will have to hope it will work.

As I looked down at my three purchases at the PCC checkout today, I had to smile. Heavy duty cleaner to spray on the furniture and carpets. A lime (20c cheaper than a lemon) for juice to put on my ringworm. And a box of chocolate chip cookies to help me cope. Tea, cookies and PT to help me through the coming miseries and frustrations, which is much better than facing this alone.

[Reachoutrescue]

Good luck Lizzie! I am having a heck of a time here! My vet gave me Miconazole...an antifungal cream...I am almost low so I went to walgreens and picked up som Clotrimazole...generic for Lotrimin. I asked the pharmacist if it was just like Miconazole, she said yes. So you should try that. Just make sure you wear rubber gloves while appling it or when touching your cat. Trust me I know how you feel!! The vet said it can take months to heal ringworm, and it can come back. I hope you and I make it through this...unsick!

[Lizzie]

I just called my vet's office to ask the tech if she will be available to come and help me with baths and found out that they don't recommend full baths, especially on kittens, unless they have lesions all over. They scrub the area with chlorhexidine, apply a topical anti-fungal, and prescribe an oral anti-fungal.

There are two things about this that are upsetting me far more than the work, etc. One is that Cattulus will be separated from his brother for at least a month, and those two are very closely bonded. He's also an intensely loving and sociable cat, so isolation is going to be hard on him. Of course, his brother may get it too and I'm having all 3 kittens checked this afternoon.

The other is that I can't take in Beans or Leda until the house is clear.

[rg_girlca]

Oh No Lizzie, not you too. Poor you. Prayers on the way that it clears up soon and that no other kitties get it.