Can A Cuddly Cat Actually Give Me Ringworm?

One day I found at my doorstep, a stray kitten, about 8 weeks old, looking malnourished and sick. Vowing to provide it love and shelter, I immediately brought it to my vet. It took several trips and a lot of cold medication until my kitten appeared to be recovering. Then one day I noticed a round rash on MY skin which prompted me to go to the vet to ask them to treat the kitten for ringworm. (Not everyone makes this immediate connection, but thankfully I had already been informed!) It eventually came out, that my kitten had ringworm all the while, but this escaped detection by the vet. The vet offered reasons for this oversight, which I am about to share with you.

Far from being a worm, ringworm is a fungal infection which is highly contagious. It can be passed from human to human, as well as from animal to animal and even humans to animals and vice versa. It can be acquired from seemingly benign objects such as door jams and even soil, for as long as the infected rash comes in contact with the object. In all probability, my kitten was infected by its mother, and my kitten infected me.

In animals, it appears as a round bald lesion which may have scaly skin in the center. Commonly found on the ears, tail or head of a cat, sometimes the fungi will not take on a circular shape and can spread to even the face, lips and other body parts. It may mimic an autoimmune disease as it did in my kitten as the only visible hair loss was in the ears, which seemed to have thinning hair. Sadly though, because of the delay in diagnosing it, me, my dog and another kitten ended up having ringworm as well.

For the most part, ringworm treatments are effective. But the challenging point is in the consistent application of the treatment. Treatment can range from anti-fungal creams, lime sulfur dips, anti-fungal shampoos and even oral medication.

Eliminating ringworm and preventing future infections will require tenacity on your part. Ringworm’s highly contagious nature can spread through all sorts of materials from carpets, beddings, mats, etc. Thus, everything your infected pet ever came in contact with must be cleaned and disinfected with hot water and bleach. If your cat insists on staying inside the house while still infected, it is best to cover the areas it frequents with sheets which you can change and disinfect every day. This must be done until the pet tests negative for fungus in at least two lab tests. As you can see, it requires a lot of effort, so it is best to prevent the infection in the first place.

Treating ringworm in your pet is without doubt, highly demanding. But such is the cost to keep your wonderfully loving pets happy and healthy. Now that you are aware of this potential infection, please do everything you can to prevent ringworm from happening to you or your pet.