Cats with widespread ringworm often have larger bumps with open sores. Veterinarians diagnose ringworm by fungal culture, examination with an ultraviolet lamp, and direct microscopic examination of hair or skin scale. Fungal culture of hairs and scrapings from the affected areas is the most accurate method, but it can take up to 3 weeks to get the results. A positive result obtained with an ultraviolet lamp may allow early diagnosis, but the results are not always reliable and need to be verified with a fungal culture.
Ringworm infections can clear up without treatment, but treatment may speed healing and reduce the spread of the disease. Your veterinarian can prescribe anti-fungal medications that can be applied to the body in the form of dips and medicated shampoos.
Such treatments are not always effective, however. Cats with widespread ringworm infections usually need to be treated with oral antifungal drugs.
Your veterinarian may recommend that your cat be shaved, especially if it has long hair or a widespread infection.
The cat's environment also needs to be cleaned thoroughly with a dilute bleach solution. Your veterinarian can provide you with information about any treatment that may be appropriate for your pet and advise you regarding precautions you should take to avoid ringworm infection in yourself and members of your family.
Also see professional content regarding dermatophytosis Dermatophytosis in Dogs and Cats Dermatophytosis ringworm is typically a superficial skin infection. Clipping the coat removes infected hairs and minimizes continued shedding of hair fragments and spores. It also allows for more thorough penetration of topical antifungal shampoos. Because children, elderly people, or anyone with immunosuppression is at higher risk of catching ringworm from an infected cat, any cat that lives in a household with someone who fits the above description must have its coat clipped.
Otherwise, as a general rule, if a shorthaired cat has five or more discreet spots of ringworm, the entire coat should be clipped.
If a shorthaired cat has less than five discreet spots, the hair around the individual spots can be clipped. If the cat is longhaired, the entire coat should be clipped regardless of how many discreet ringworm spots are visible on the coat. All cats that test positive for ringworm should receive some kind of topical therapy. Topical therapy minimizes the spread of infective spores into the environment, and helps remove infective crusts, scales, and spores from the coat.
Without topical therapy, treatment would take longer and would be more costly. There are many effective topical products. Miconazole, either as a sole therapeutic agent, or in combination with chlorhexidine, has been shown to be effective.
Malaseb shampoo, which is a combination of miconazole and chlorhexidine is an excellent choice. Studies have shown this shampoo to be very effective against ringworm.
Cats should be bathed twice weekly. Local topical therapy with ointments and creams is generally not recommended for treatment. From a practical perspective, they are messy, easily groomed off, and tempt clients to try spot therapy instead of aggressive treatment with shampoos and oral medications. In our experience, however, miconazole lotion, applied to the affected areas on the days that the cat is not being bathed, appears to be beneficial.
The cornerstone of treatment for ringworm is systemic therapy with an oral medication. Ideally, these drugs should not be used in kittens less than 8 weeks of age. Drugs that have been shown to be effective include griseofulvin, terbinafine, ketaconazole, and itraconazole. Itraconazole to be very effective when given at a dose of 10 mg per kg once daily for 6 weeks. Side effects, if they occur, tend to be limited to vomiting and decreased appetite.
Itraconazole needs to be prepared by a compounding pharmacy into a form that allows proper dosing. We have the pharmacy prepare a flavored liquid that makes dosing much less objectionable to the cat. Cats receiving treatment for ringworm usually show marked improvement in clinical signs within 2 to 4 weeks of therapy. Four weeks after beginning treatment, cats should be reexamined. Any infected hairs discovered during the exam should be removed. Infected hairs discovered on the muzzle, face, and ears suggest that the owner is having difficulty or has been hesitant to apply the shampoo to these areas.
A fungal culture should be performed at every recheck. Once a negative culture is obtained, weekly fungal cultures should be performed. Two consecutive negative fungal cultures indicates successful treatment in single-pet situations. Ringworm spores can persist in the environment for a long time, perhaps 18 to 24 months. Moreover, he points out, ringworm is a zoonotic disease—it can be passed from an infected cat to a human who comes in contact with it.
Thus, the condition can pose a significant threat to people as well as to cats. The clearest and most common clinical signs of feline ringworm include the following: circular areas of hair loss, broken and stubbly hair, scaling or crusty skin, alterations in hair or skin color, inflamed areas of skin, excessive grooming and scratching, infected claws or nail beds, and dandruff.
While this option is generally the most accurate it does take the longest, and you may have to wait up to two weeks for the results. The most common treatment for ringworm in cats is anti-fungal medication paired with an anti-fungal shampoo. Your vet may ask you to restrict your pet to rooms that are easy to clean and prevent them from having free-roam of the whole of your house. This is because spores can be quickly spread throughout the home. The fungal spores present in cat hair or skin will shed into your home and contaminate the environment.
Pet hair will need to be removed from any furniture or carpets by vacuuming daily and hard floors will need to be mopped — you can ask your vet about pet-friendly chemical disinfectants that are safe to use. According to VCA Hospitals , these spores can live in your home for as long as 18 months.
Therefore, this part of the treatment for ringworm in cats is essential or you may run the risk of your cat becoming infected again. If you have other pets in the home, ask your vet whether they should also be treated. However, never use medication prescribed for one animal on another pet as this can be very dangerous, particularly if they are different species.
Cats can be exposed to a range of other infectious agents, including pesky parasites.
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