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- Oct 10, 2021
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Posting our long, sordid tale to see if anybody had any insight.
In summer of 2018, our first cat got ringworm. Her hair had been falling out around her head and neck for a few weeks, was intensely itchy, but we did not know what it was until my husband and I came up with ringworm lesions. Our vet at that time was old school and did not culture or PCR the lesions. He recommended a miconazole shampoo. We shampooed her every other day with miconazole and lime sulfur dips alternating. Ultimately, we took her to a new vet who gave us 3 weeks of terbinafine. She took this and along with the baths, cleared up without issue.
A few months later we adopted our second cat as an 8 week old kitten. She did not get ringworm but apparently had it as a kitten.
Fast forward to February 2021, we are in a new house. We suddenly notice that our first cat is showing the bald spot on her head again. Same symptoms, itchiness with patchy hair loss and red, scaling scabs. This time, our second cat got it as well. We started the lime sulfur baths again, quarantined them, and got a 6 week pulsed dose of itraconazole, 3 weeks on and 3 weeks off. Both cats seemed to recover.
Shortly after recovery, our second cat became very sick with an upper respiratory infection to the point where she wouldn't eat or move much for a week. We had to hand feed her chicken and other than that, she would stay in a laundry basket all day. She had an illness like this previously. We had taken her to the vet and after xrays, ultrasound, labwork, subQ fluids and nausea medicine, the verdict was... they didn't know what it was and she'll get better. So we gave her some time to recover.
She did get better again after a week but we noticed hair loss, crusted lesions again at this time. So both of our cats got ringworm again. We quarantined them and cleaned like crazy. Bleached every surface, accelerated hydrogen peroxide, had their litter boxes sit in bleach, used towels for bedding and laundered them frequently, got a bagged HEPA vaccuum, a HEPA filter, threw out our area rugs, threw out all fabric cat toys, brushes, steam cleaned our couches, etc. We lime sulfur dipped both of them twice weekly which seemed to be very irritating to their skin at this point. We gave them a second round of pulsed itraconazole for 6 weeks, this time liquid form. My husband and I both got ringworm lesions this time. The cats did ultimately get better for about 2-3 months.
During the last run in with ringworm, the vet cultured and PCR tested our cats. The culture and PCR test were both negative. The vet said the culture can be negative but that the PCR test should show a past infection, up to 6 months prior. So the vet is not convinced this is ringworm but doesn't know what it is. Our cats have been tested for FIV, immunocompromising illnesses and are up to date on all their shots.
Now, within the past two weeks, our first cat is demonstrating her patchy hair loss and itching again. We were so traumatized by our past experienced, we sent a picture to our vet. She wasn't convinced but we begged her to send in a refill of the itraconazole. She did and we started miconazole baths and the oral medication again. She is losing chunks of fur as is characteristic for her around her periocular and scalp region, and our second cat is as well. We are not quarantining them this time as it seems to affect them negatively to be so isolated and they have the same symptoms even after quarantine anyway. We have restarted the oral itraconazole and miconazole baths. We are cleaning furiously with daily swiffering (walls and floors), mopping, twice weekly vacuuming of the main house which is hardwood. We wipe down surfaces in bleach or accelerated hydrogen peroxide, whichever the surface can stand. We have removed all fabric surfaces except our couches, which we have covered in top sheets that we launder with bleach and triclosan.
Our vet at this point has thrown her hands up. She says if they were ringworm positive something would have shown up. She has suggested flea allergies or other dermatitis. She says either the culture or the PCR should have been positive at one point. She says they clinically act like a ringworm infection but labwise, have not been proven. She offered a referral to a dermatologist at a specialized cat hospital which would cost 500$ for an initial consult, not including testing.
I just do not understand how something that clinically behaves like ringworm, to the point where my husband and I got multiple lesions, would not test positive at one point? I know the culture can be falsely negative due to treatment starting, but the vet says the PCR at least should be positive. I am convinced it is ringworm again. I think it is so unlikely that a flea allergy (we use Revolution) would affect 2 separate immunocompetent cats at the same time, every time.... or some other dermatitis, or food allergy.
We are at our wits end and so hopeless that this will be our lives forever. We don't understand why it keeps happening to our cats and what we are doing wrong. Sorry for the sob story, we are just so desperate for relief!
In summer of 2018, our first cat got ringworm. Her hair had been falling out around her head and neck for a few weeks, was intensely itchy, but we did not know what it was until my husband and I came up with ringworm lesions. Our vet at that time was old school and did not culture or PCR the lesions. He recommended a miconazole shampoo. We shampooed her every other day with miconazole and lime sulfur dips alternating. Ultimately, we took her to a new vet who gave us 3 weeks of terbinafine. She took this and along with the baths, cleared up without issue.
A few months later we adopted our second cat as an 8 week old kitten. She did not get ringworm but apparently had it as a kitten.
Fast forward to February 2021, we are in a new house. We suddenly notice that our first cat is showing the bald spot on her head again. Same symptoms, itchiness with patchy hair loss and red, scaling scabs. This time, our second cat got it as well. We started the lime sulfur baths again, quarantined them, and got a 6 week pulsed dose of itraconazole, 3 weeks on and 3 weeks off. Both cats seemed to recover.
Shortly after recovery, our second cat became very sick with an upper respiratory infection to the point where she wouldn't eat or move much for a week. We had to hand feed her chicken and other than that, she would stay in a laundry basket all day. She had an illness like this previously. We had taken her to the vet and after xrays, ultrasound, labwork, subQ fluids and nausea medicine, the verdict was... they didn't know what it was and she'll get better. So we gave her some time to recover.
She did get better again after a week but we noticed hair loss, crusted lesions again at this time. So both of our cats got ringworm again. We quarantined them and cleaned like crazy. Bleached every surface, accelerated hydrogen peroxide, had their litter boxes sit in bleach, used towels for bedding and laundered them frequently, got a bagged HEPA vaccuum, a HEPA filter, threw out our area rugs, threw out all fabric cat toys, brushes, steam cleaned our couches, etc. We lime sulfur dipped both of them twice weekly which seemed to be very irritating to their skin at this point. We gave them a second round of pulsed itraconazole for 6 weeks, this time liquid form. My husband and I both got ringworm lesions this time. The cats did ultimately get better for about 2-3 months.
During the last run in with ringworm, the vet cultured and PCR tested our cats. The culture and PCR test were both negative. The vet said the culture can be negative but that the PCR test should show a past infection, up to 6 months prior. So the vet is not convinced this is ringworm but doesn't know what it is. Our cats have been tested for FIV, immunocompromising illnesses and are up to date on all their shots.
Now, within the past two weeks, our first cat is demonstrating her patchy hair loss and itching again. We were so traumatized by our past experienced, we sent a picture to our vet. She wasn't convinced but we begged her to send in a refill of the itraconazole. She did and we started miconazole baths and the oral medication again. She is losing chunks of fur as is characteristic for her around her periocular and scalp region, and our second cat is as well. We are not quarantining them this time as it seems to affect them negatively to be so isolated and they have the same symptoms even after quarantine anyway. We have restarted the oral itraconazole and miconazole baths. We are cleaning furiously with daily swiffering (walls and floors), mopping, twice weekly vacuuming of the main house which is hardwood. We wipe down surfaces in bleach or accelerated hydrogen peroxide, whichever the surface can stand. We have removed all fabric surfaces except our couches, which we have covered in top sheets that we launder with bleach and triclosan.
Our vet at this point has thrown her hands up. She says if they were ringworm positive something would have shown up. She has suggested flea allergies or other dermatitis. She says either the culture or the PCR should have been positive at one point. She says they clinically act like a ringworm infection but labwise, have not been proven. She offered a referral to a dermatologist at a specialized cat hospital which would cost 500$ for an initial consult, not including testing.
I just do not understand how something that clinically behaves like ringworm, to the point where my husband and I got multiple lesions, would not test positive at one point? I know the culture can be falsely negative due to treatment starting, but the vet says the PCR at least should be positive. I am convinced it is ringworm again. I think it is so unlikely that a flea allergy (we use Revolution) would affect 2 separate immunocompetent cats at the same time, every time.... or some other dermatitis, or food allergy.
We are at our wits end and so hopeless that this will be our lives forever. We don't understand why it keeps happening to our cats and what we are doing wrong. Sorry for the sob story, we are just so desperate for relief!
