Post Punk Kitchen Forum

Oh, joy of joys, tonight I just got the dreaded phone call that the culture test we ran a week ago for ringworm came back positive for our little kitten, Momo.

We've gotten advice/instructions from our vet, but I want someone to commiserate with. Or someone to tell me all my hair isn't about to fall out and I'll become Brundle-alice in a scarred, pussy heap on the floor.

In the meantime I have purchased all the bleach, and am treating Momo like a mutant alien whose touch may prove fatal.

spores. SPORES.

You won't die or become a mutant (probably).

My mom got ringworm from a cat several years ago. Her doctor told her she could treat it with the same over the counter stuff you use on athlete's foot. So we went to the drugstore, but the only version of the medicine we could find said "FOR JOCK ITCH" in huge letters on the box. My mom got THE worst case of the giggles and it took her about 10 minutes to calm down enough to grab a box from the shelf. As she was composing herself, a very embarrassed looking man entered the aisle, tried to very discretely sidle over and take a box from the shelf without us noticing, and then scurried away red-faced. That set my mom right off laughing again. It was all very entertaining, and the ringworm rash disappeared after a few weeks' treatment.

it'll be a-okay, alice1drland. i used to work for the richmond spca, and having foster cared for 100+ cats 'n dogs, we've had our fair share of ringworm. for myself and my spouse, we always used diluted bleach on ourselves if we got ringworm - 1 part bleach to 10 parts water. just dab this mixture on a cotton swab and place over any ringworm spots for a minute or so a few times a day. we also made sure to change our hand towels every day and washed our sheets and clothes more often. i've never had more than a few spots and they all went away rather quickly. the meds they'll give your kitten should work pretty well, too. don't get me wrong, ringworm is a pain in the arse, but it's not too shabby comparatively. good luck!

I'm so sorry for you! It's sooooooooooo easily spread, it's ridiculous. I think the last time I had it was in college? It kept spreading all over my body. Best thing is its not too awful when you have it. It just looks gross and is hard to get rid of. Oh now I remember! I was bartending at the time and I had one on my neck. I kept it covered because I was afraid they would send me home from work if I had this nasty sore on my neck. When people asked me about it I said I had a spider bite...which became my nickname for my remainder at that bar.

Nothing I have shared here is helpful, but I feel for you.

My former-stray cat that we took in had round worms which are totally different but also gross. At least Momo isn't throwing up squirming worms? Congrats on your new kitten!

Oh he had tapeworms coming out of his butt when we first adopted him. Worm and fungus city, up in here.

Thanks for making me feel better, guys. I think I'm just freaking myself out about the parts where they say you can get it on your scalp and lose your hair. That is likely a different type of ringworm than Momo has, but he's got some bald patches, so yep, just assuming the same is going to happen to me. Though I did read that if I would probably have shown symptoms by now if I were going to get it, so I am crossing my fingers that that's the case.

It's really the spore thing that gets to me. Spoooores. And it drives me NUTS that we have to wait 3 days to start treating him because they have to special order this stuff. Isn't ringworm frighteningly common?!

Yeah, I bought myself anti-fungal cream in case something shows up on me, and I definitely steered towards the version marketed towards athlete's foot than jock itch. I debated for a solid 5 minutes before I decided I wanted foot cream and not groin cream.

We've gotten quite a few ringworm infected kittens in the shelter over the years, and volunteers almost never become infected. The few that have gotten it (like my mom) just got a skin rash on their arms. I've never known anyone who lost their hair.

My Sophie was a stray we took in who had it all too - roundworms, tapeworms and ringworm. We didn't know about the ringworm for a couple of months, but none of us (husband and 2 kids) got it. Then years later, off and on we'd get cats at the shelter I volunteered for who had it. I never got it there either, although some of the other volunteers got it on the backs of their hands or arms. End of story: The cats and everyone else survived it just fine - but it took a couple of months.

Back to story: When I was growing up I do remember neighborhood kids (from a family of 9) getting it in their hair - but I think it was after many, many months of ignoring it. The hygiene over there wasn't that great.

at list she doesn't have fat white worms crawling out of her butt, huh????
xo
kittee

You guys are the best. Thank you for making me feel better!

I wish I could pet my cat, though. He is really cute.