Ringworm - really need some support

Y
Yadou Icon representing the flag French
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Hi everyone, I really need some comfort and, above all, some reassurance.

I took in a kitten and didn't realise he had ringworm.

Now my older cat has caught it, and so have my husband and I.

I’ve been following the treatment to the letter, which means:

- Vacuuming every single day

- Mopping the floors with bleach every 2 days,

- Giving the cats a bath every 4 days with Imav****. For my big cat, it’s a total nightmare; I have no choice but to wipe him down with a cloth soaked in the solution. Even then, he gets so stressed he pees himself and salivates like crazy. He's such a sweetheart and has never scratched me, but it breaks my heart to see him so distressed when I clean him.

- Deep cleaning the sofa and cat trees once a week

- Daily tablets for the big cat (Fumvid***m) + a liquid med for the kitten every other week (Itraf***gol)

Honestly, my social life has taken a massive hit!

I thought we’d finally got rid of it...

After 6 weeks of treatment and no more symptoms on the cats or us, the vet told me to stop the treatment for 2 weeks and then come in for a check-up.

I did as I was told. We went to the vet and they did a skin brushing to send off to the lab.

I didn't even need to wait for the results; that same evening, I noticed those little ringworm spots on myself (the ones that don't quite develop).

I had a closer look at my cats; the kitten seems fine, but I noticed the older one has very slight flaky skin around his eyes.

Then I brushed him and—horrible surprise—he has quite a bit of dandruff over the rest of his body.

So, without even waiting for the results, I’ve restarted the treatment for both cats because they’re always together.

But I’m at my wits' end. I just don't have the strength to follow the protocol to the letter anymore. I’m just going to mop the floors with a standard antibacterial cleaner like Dettol from now on.

I'm a bit of a clean freak by nature, so I don't understand why we can't get rid of it!

Not to mention the cost of these treatments—I’ve spent nearly £350 already, and I still have to get the kitten vaccinated and neutered.

We’re in the middle of moving house, and I’m so worried because my husband and I were planning on starting a family soon, but in these conditions, it’s just not possible or even responsible!

Anyway, how long did it take for you to finally beat it?

Were you really that strict with the cleaning?

The vet didn’t suggest any foggers or smoke bombs—is that normal? I’ve heard they might not be effective?

Do you think I should replace the cat trees? If so, when? I can't take them away right now; the poor things have already lost all their cushions.

Do you think ringworm can just go away on its own?

I really need some positive stories from people who have come out the other side.

Please help!!

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Yasmine

Translated from French
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25 answers
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    • L
    Lena2013 Icon representing the flag French
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    Unfortunately, I can't roll up my rug; it's 15 square metres and made of seagrass, so it's incredibly heavy... It doesn't seem to be spreading any further for now at least, but my cat is a big chunky Angora girl, so it's hard to see her skin through all that fur haha. I’m obviously going to finish the full course of treatment, and I'll be heading back to the vet so she can hopefully confirm that it’s all cleared up. She mentioned doing a blood test to check... what exactly is a fungal culture?
    Translated from French
    N
    Neptiza Icon representing the flag French
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    If possible, put your rug somewhere out of the way for the duration of the treatment. Stick it in a bin bag or a sealed box and only get it out when you’re ready to use a fogger. Rugs are a massive breeding ground for ringworm spores, and as soon as you put it back and the cat walks on it, the spores will be right back there. If it’s already stopped spreading, that’s a good sign. From memory, I saw an improvement after about 15 to 21 days with mine (they were on Fulviderm, but Itrafungol is usually more effective). If you’re ever in doubt about how it’s looking, send some photos over to your vet for their opinion (that’s what I did for mine who are currently being treated for ringworm, though it might not even be that after all! 😅). Don’t forget to finish the full course of treatment even if it looks like it’s cleared up, and make sure to get a follow-up culture test done at the lab to be 100% sure it’s mycologically cured. You want to avoid any relapses in a few weeks just because it wasn’t completely sorted.
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    L
    Lena2013 Icon representing the flag French
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    Thanks so much for the advice, that’s really cleared things up for me. The strain is definitely M. Canis, so knowing that Sanytol works against it is a huge relief. As for tea tree oil, I had no idea it was potentially dangerous, so I’ll look for an alternative antifungal to put in the carpet cleaner for my rug. I’ve got a bagless vacuum, so I’m washing the bin and the filter with Sanytol! I’m not really sure what to think about the Itrafungol yet… we’ve only done one week of treatment plus a week’s break, and we’re starting the second week tomorrow. My cat just has one patch on his ear and nothing anywhere else, so I’m really hoping it doesn't spread any further…
    Translated from French
    N
    Neptiza Icon representing the flag French
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    The cat is on a six-week course of treatment (Itrafungol), alternating one week on and one week off. My vet told me that shampooing was unnecessary at such an early stage... My son and I are on Terbinafine tablets plus a cream for the lesions; fortunately, we’ve only got a few. The cat has access to the lounge and the kitchen—unfortunately, I can’t close those rooms off as they don't have doors. He’s banned from the rest of the flat, though. As for cleaning products, I’m using Dettol on the hard surfaces, mixing it with bleach whenever possible. I’ve also got a tea tree essential oil diffuser going in the lounge. I’ve hired a carpet cleaner for next week to clean the seagrass flooring; I’ll use the standard cleaning solution with a bit of white vinegar (I obviously can't put bleach on that). Do you have any recommendations for antifungal sprays? I can’t seem to find any—the ones I’m seeing are only for parasites... Thanks everyone! Try to avoid mixing cleaning products. It can actually inhibit their effectiveness. If the strain involved is M. canis, the new Dettol formula is enough, as it's been tested for that. If you aren’t sure, I’d recommend a professional pet disinfectant like Safe4 or F10, which works on all strains. The same goes for the tea tree oil—did you check with the vet that it was safe for your cat? Essential oils can be extremely toxic to them. You can get specialised antifungal sprays like Anigene or similar vet-grade disinfectants that have been specifically tested against ringworm. As a cheaper alternative, you could look for a disinfectant that meets the EN1650 standard for fungi, but it might not be 100% guaranteed to work specifically on ringworm spores. Also, if you have a bagged vacuum cleaner, make sure to bin the bag outside the flat straight away. If it’s bagless, give the canister a good spray with an antifungal solution after every use. My vet once suggested fitting a HEPA filter to the vacuum, as it’s better at catching ringworm spores if your model doesn't already have one. Is the Itrafungol working well for your cat?
    Translated from French
    L
    Lena2013 Icon representing the flag French
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    My cat is on a course of Itrafungol for six weeks, which involves one week on and one week off. My vet told me that shampooing was unnecessary since we caught it at such an early stage...

    My son and I are both taking Terbinafine tablets and using a cream on the lesions; luckily, we only have a few.

    The cat has access to the lounge and the kitchen, but unfortunately, I can't shut these rooms off as they don't have doors. The rest of the flat is off-limits to him.

    As for cleaning products, I’m using an anti-bacterial surface cleaner which I mix with bleach whenever possible. I’ve also got a diffuser in the lounge with some tea tree oil.

    I’ve hired a carpet cleaner for next week to do the seagrass flooring; I’ll use the standard cleaning solution with a bit of white vinegar (I obviously can’t use bleach on that).

    Does anyone have any recommendations for antifungal sprays? I can’t seem to find any—all the ones I've come across are only for parasites...

    Thanks everyone

    Translated from French
    N
    Neptiza Icon representing the flag French
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    Hi everyone, I found out two weeks ago that my Angora cat has ringworm (caught from a little kitten we took in for 24 hours – we had no idea he was infected...). My son and I have caught it too. Since then, I’ve been panicking about the cleaning. I feel like I'm not doing enough, even though I spend an hour on it every day (I live in a 650 sq ft flat), but my living room is completely covered in seagrass flooring, so I’m terrified the ringworm will get trapped in there... I’ve stopped the cat from going into the bedrooms, but I’m still scared this is going to drag on for months. I’m washing the throws twice a week at 60°, hoovering every day, mopping every two days, and washing the walls and furniture every two days as well. I really need some reassurance because I’m worried this whole thing is going to drive me bonkers! Is he on treatment? Did you have a lab culture done to identify the strain? If the cat isn’t confined to a single room and kept away from you, it might take much longer for both you and the cat to recover. Because ringworm is so volatile, it really does get everywhere. The best thing would be to keep him in a room that’s easy to clean. You’ll need to use antifungal foggers once the ringworm has cleared to get rid of any remaining spores. What products are you using to clean the house?
    Translated from French
    L
    Lena2013 Icon representing the flag French
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    Hi everyone, Two weeks ago, I found out my Angora cat has ringworm. He caught it from a little kitten we took in for just 24 hours — we had no idea the kitten was infected. My son and I have caught it as well. Since then, I’ve been in a total panic about the housework. I feel like I’m not doing enough, even though I spend an hour on it every day (I live in a 60-square-metre flat), but my living room has seagrass flooring throughout, so I’m terrified the ringworm will get trapped in it... I’ve restricted my cat’s access to the bedrooms, but I’m still scared we’ll be dealing with this for months on end. I’m washing all the throws twice a week at 60°, hoovering every day, mopping every two days, and wiping down the walls and furniture every other day too. I really need some reassurance because I’m worried this whole situation is going to drive me bonkers!
    Translated from French
    N
    Neptiza Icon representing the flag French
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    Hi there, I’ve dealt with ringworm several times while fostering. Could you describe exactly what treatment the vet prescribed? Same for the cleaning: how often did you do it and which products did you use? Was your adult cat kept separate from the kitten? What precautions did you take for yourselves? Is the kitten being kept in a separate room? Do you know which specific strain of ringworm is affecting your cats?
    Translated from French
    C
    Clara59 Icon representing the flag French
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    Hi everyone,

    I adopted a kitten who unfortunately had ringworm...

    The symptoms are only showing on his ears and he’s been on treatment for several weeks now, but sadly I’ve noticed that my other cat is starting to catch it on his ear too… I’m also starting to get patches on my own body; despite all the cleaning and hard work, I just can't seem to get on top of it… It’s worrying me so much. I’m at the vet’s every single week and it’s costing a fortune – I’m at my wits' end, both mentally and financially.

    If anyone could give me some reassurance about how long it takes or any extra tips for getting rid of it, I’d really appreciate it...

    Translated from French
    Coco914
    Coco914 Icon representing the flag French
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    Hey 🙂 I hope you’ve managed to put this nightmare behind you by now... Anyway, just for my own story, it lasted 5 months for my poor pup. Cleaning non-stop (Virkon, disinfectants, steam cleaning...) Walls, floors, doors – everything was disinfected... And unfortunately... he’s just a dog who’s prone to ringworm. Three years later, he’s come into contact with the fungus again and here we go all over again – we’ve been dealing with it for a month now! So yeah...
    Translated from French

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