Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am so freaked out right now that I can barely think of the right words. I have ringworms! I have a 1 yr old long-hair cat. He is strictly indoors, and I give him a bath every month. Not to mention that I vacuum every week and wipe all surfaces with Windex because...well, I'm a little Obsessive compulsive. I just DON'T understand how this can happen to me.
About two weeks ago, I started noticing small round rashs on my thigh and my ribs. I had NO idea what they were (oh, by the way he is my first cat, so I don't know alot about cats or diseases associated with cats), but today I was reading on article about cat health on-line and the a pic of ringworms on a human body. It looked just like mine!!! I'm so scared right now that I don't know what to do! The weirdest thing is that my cat doesn't show any signs of ring worms at all! Even if he was a carrier, I don't know where on earth he would have gotten it, since the last time he was out was more than a month ago (to go to the vet).
I've calmed down a little bit after reading that ringworms weren't actual worms...what a relief! I almost had a nervous breakdown!! I still don't understand though, why I would be infected with ringworms! All the articles I just read says that it usually only infects people with low immune system, and I'm as healthy as an ox!!
I'll have to go to the doctor first thing tomorrow morning, but it's a pain b/c I don't have insurance (I'm a college student and my parents own a private business). Oh, this is just terrible!! I don't even know how I'm going to sterilize my apt.~ The worst part is that I may spread this thing to my family and other people around me This is just dreadful!!
If you have any experience with ringworms, please give me some support. I would really appreciate it!! Thanks you so much!

Skip the doctor's office. Go to the pharmacy tonight. Ask the pharmacist what to use for ringworm. Usually it's the same stuff you use for athelete's foot. I got ringworm on my face. It stinks!
So basically go look for a fungus-killing cream.
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Jaime owned by
Mya the dog
and the cats:Crash, Gabby and Tucker

Actually, ringworm is a type of fungus. I have had it a couple of times and usually all it takes is a fungicide ointment and it will clear up. I've actually picked mine up from digging in the dirt in my flowerbeds.
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Boris's Human, Pam

Hi There,

Take a deep breath and try to relax a little. Ringworm isn't nearly as scary as you think.

I am a vet tech and have gotten ringworm many times from patients and it has never been a big deal. My lesions have cleared up using the same topical stuff we use on the cats. As far as I know, I have never given it to my own cats at home. A couple of times I had newly adopted cats develop ringworm and I treated them with no problems or spread of the fungus.

Ringworm is one of those things that is just in the enviornment. As another poster stated, you can even get it gardening. You didn't necessarily get it from your cat.

You can try over-the-counter stuff on yourself if you choose to, but if there is no improvement within a few days a Dr. visit may be necessary. Since you have miltiple ringworm lesions, you may need some oral meds also.

I seem to be somewhat prone to getting ringworm and I am also healthy. Another tech at work gets it more often than I do and she is also in excellent health, so it there doesn't have to be a compromised immune system for someone to get the fungus.

Take care, and please keep us updated.

PHKitkat

Thank you everyone for all of your support
I just found a bigger problem. I was searching for ringworms on my cat, and saw a small black bug moving in the fur. Before I could catch it, it was gone. I comb my cat everyday, but I've never seen ringworms or fleas because his hair is so long (well, at least he's a white cat). Well, I occasionally check the stomach because my friend told me that her dog get fleas on his stomach. I had NO idea that another common place for fleas is the tail! Did I mention Tolui is my first cat/pet, and I am totally freaked out AGAIN!
I knew that pets could get pests, but I thought Tolui and I would be safe if he was kept indoors. I've only seen one flea so far, and the tail has some flea dirt in it, but not alot. I looked at other parts of his body, but haven't found any more dirt. I'll have to take him to the vet tomorrow. When this ringworm and flea problem is gone, I'll have to get him a lioncut. His fur is just so long and thick that I can't see a thing in it!
I kept on asking myself today where and how I could have gotten ringworms and how Tolui could get fleas when he is always indoors. Then while reading up on fleas, one site stated that indoor cats can it fleas that were brought in by the unsuspecting owner. For some reason, that made me think of my next door neighbor's dog. I live in a small apt that does not allow dogs, but I recently found out that my next door neighbor had somehow kept a large australian sheperd in her apt. The management found out, and kicked the dog out. Is it possible that he could have tracked in fleas and ringworms into the apt building?
Well, I guess the more important thing is to figure out what to do next. I'm taking Tolui to the vet to free him of infestation, but I have NO idea how to clear my apt of fleas. Can you give me some pointers on how to clear up my apt? Also, do fleas nest in human hair too? I have long thick hair just like Tolui...am I going to have to take flea medications and get a lioncut too ? Oh, and with the ringworms, how do I clean my house of ringworms? Thank you so much for your advices and support!! I really appreciate it!!

Hi! Just another human who has survived ringworm! I got mine from a shoplifter when I worked retail years ago. He left behind a sweaty shirt; I got ringworm on my thumb where I hooked it off the floor. cheap store brand monostat cleared it up.

Previous to that my boyfriend had it for about a year. He got it at a gym, and like you had no insurance so didn't get it treated all that time. We were living together yet he never passed it on, but it did spread on him. I bleached our sheets every week and every surface in the bathroom and kitchen. It only takes a few drops per gallon of water to kill all sorts of nasties.

Fleas live in the grass where they will hitch a ride on whatever dog or cat that goes by. The best way to kill them is a trip to the vet then keep your cat indoors. While there are over the counter flea drops, many don't work, and several have been linked to animal deaths. The national humane society use to have a good article on the dangers of otc flea killers on their website.

Fleas will breed in carpet, but if you vaccum every couple of days concentrating on all the places people DON't walk (under the couch, under the coffee table...)the vibration from the sweeper kills the larve and they never make it adult hood. You have to repeat the process because it does not affect the eggs.

Congrats on your first cat! This will all soon be over and i'm sure you two will have many happy years together.

Purrs,
Elizabeth

I don't reacall reading that you are treating the cat for ringworm. I might have missed it. Make sure you get a safe cream from the vet for the cat or the problem will continue.

My cat picked up ringworm from a vet visit. If your cat has been at the vet anytime recently, could have picked up there.

My vet gave me a tube of human-grade antifungal cream to use on the cat and told me to also use it on myself if I picked up any while treating him. After I treated him I rubbed a small amount on my fingers and hands like lotion each time and never caught it. The tube says it is for athlete's foot, jock itch, and ringwork. It takes a few days to work, but it works. Active ingredient is Miconazole Nitrate 2%.

I've friends who are teachers that pick it up from school kids. Use a cream and put a band-aid on any visible areas you have the ringwork (like your arm) to help from spread while you treat.
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Tammy
Stanley and Pookey

Hello all!
I took Tolui to the vet today and to my surprise, he doesn't have ringworms! Thank goodness! I had to take him to two diff. vets today b/c the first vet insisted that he did not have fleas without looking thoroughly inside his dense fur; this vet refuse to give him flea meds, and talked to me as if I were crazy for saying my cat had fleas!! So I took him to a cats only vet, and here they found some flea dirt, but said that it's probably one or two fleas. Again, THANK GOODNESS!
However, I have another dilema. My parents are moving to California (we live in NY currently) in June, and I've got to move with them. Right now I have my own apt, but I have to live in the same house with my parents for about 1yr before I go onto graduate school (then I'll be able to have my own place again). Well, here's the problem: my parents are terribly allergic to my cat and will NOT allow me to take Tolui with me. I LOVE him SO much and can't give him to someone else. Living on my own in California is out of the question b/c the apartments there are ridiculously expensive! Do you know of any cat-sitters that will keep my cat for 1 yrs and then give him back to me at the end of the term? Please help me find a solution to this crisis! I'm desperate!! Thank you all so much for your support and advices!!

I do know of someone who did something similar. Basically she put the word out, telling everyone she knew. I first heard of it from a poster in the barn where she kept her horse. It's been years, but I think the cats went to a friend of a friend type of deal and she paid a monthly fee.

Could you negoiate with your parents for a compromise? Limited access for Tolui in the new home and you'll work to keep the allergens from invading the rest of the house? I'm seriously allergic too, but I manage to keep 3 cats. High end allergen trapping 3M filters on the heating/cooling system work wonders as well as HEPA filters and HEPA vacuums. You already bathe him once a month, which is great for reducing allergens and can be done up to once a week. Keeping everything washed makes life easier to breathe too. I just clean certain things on a weekly schedule to keep dander down. If you offered to pay for the upgrades and do the work (cleaning, keeping Tolui out of restricted areas)do you think you could strike a deal?

On another note, the allergiy drugs available today are worlds better than what we had 20 years ago, with far fewer side effects. Currently I'm paying $16 for a 300 day supply of OTC generic Loratadine (Claritin). It's a great drug.

One more thought - a cross country move is a huge undertaking when you're living in anything larger than a suitcase. Could part of their insistance be that moving Tolui would be too much time, money and hassle, esp. on top of the allergies? Where were you hoping to board Tolui CA or NY?

You need to prepare yourself for the possibility of not taking Tolui with you to CA which means as his mom, you need to find him a suitable new home. It's kitten season, the shelters are facing the yearly flood which strains the resources of many each spring. Some won't take in older cats - kittens are easier to adopt and it's not uncommon for their mothers to be left awaiting adoption for months after the last kitten is gone. So you need to do the footwork in finding Tolui a new home. Don't bother calling shelters, you're just one of hundreds calling this time of year - go visit them, put in some face time. You might be able to connect with a volunteer or foster mom who can help you work out a solution for Tolui either way - cat sitting or a new home.

Best of luck,

Elizabeth

Thank you Elizabeth, for your reply
Well, I am a little bit allergic to Tolui too, but I keep the house very clean and bathe Tolui often. The problem with my parents is that they do NOT like animals, and their allgery make it worse. I LOVE animals, and have always asked them why I was born into a family of non animal lovers. I've always wanted a cat, ever since I was little, but the reason why I final got Tolui at age 21 is because I moved out of my parents' house. I never imagined that I'd have to move back in, but my financial situation forces me to. Of couse, another reason why I'm moving to California with them is that I LOVE me family too. I'm very close with my mom and my brother, so I couldn't imagine being thousands of miles away from them. That's why as long as I can find a home for Tolui for one year, problem will be solved; I'll be off to grad school (dorm or apt.) in one year, and smuggling him into a dorm is no big deal
I thought about the ultimate option of giving him up for adoption, but it breaks my heart everytime I think about life without him. The thing is, he is such a special cat, and can NEVER be replaced by another cat. I'm sure you probably hear this from other pet owners abot their cats all the time, but it's just how I feel. I really hope to find a foster home for one year. I've just asked one of my professors, and her friend was interested in adopting Tolui; I've e-mailed her with the 1yr proposal, and waiting anxiously for the reply. I would be so happy and relieved if she'd be able to do that. Thank you again for your advices and support!! Wish me luck!

My first thougth is similar to Elizabeth's. If you cannot find a friend or family member, talk to the shelters in person. They do have folks that foster (usually for a short term, not a year) and they may be able to refer you. If you have no luck with the local shelter (and even try ones in neighboring towns), you may also want to try local vets to see if they know of any fosters...

A year is a good chunk to ask anyone, hopefully you'll find a friend or family member...
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Tammy
Stanley and Pookey