New Kittens With Ringworm

[Princess Softpaws]

We've had Bengali, Chai, and Annacat for 2 weeks and took them for their first vet visit yesterday to find out that the scabby patches on their ears is most likely not from aggressive kitten play like the rescue told us and is ringworm. They took a culture, gave us Douxo Chlorhexidine Mousse to apply every 3 days, and advised us to thoroughly decontaminate our house while locking these 3 little love bugs (no pun intended) in a small bathroom. I'm upset because Chai and Annacat are a bit shy anyway and it seems like horrible punishment to confine them like that. We also bought a $300 cat tree that they love and the vet is telling us to throw it out.

In reading about this mousse treatment, it says it's toxic if ingested, but the cats are going to ingest it because cats clean themselves. It also says to keep away from ears, eyes, and mouth, but it's on all 3 of their ears and Annacat has a spot above her eye.

On the bright side, we have area rugs and hardwood floors in all but 2 rooms so we can roll them up and ship them out to be cleaned - even though it will be a small fortune. This site gave me some comfort about the rest of it and I'm hoping that I can use Vibax to scrub down the cat tree then let it air dry in the sun. If it ends up with bleached out spots, I can live with that.

So has anyone had experience using this Douxo Chlorhexidine Mousse? Does it cause them to be ill?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Here are a couple of articles about ringworm treatments - they also contain other information that it appears you are already aware (but may be helpful anyway), so bear with the articles while scrolling through to the treatment section of each.

https://www.cat-world.com.au/ringworm-in-cats.html
Ringworm in cats | International Cat Care

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Honestly, I've never heard of using that mousse for ringworm. It IS used for lots of skin conditions, but I've just not heard of using it for ringworm. Did they give you anything else to use with it? Special shampoo? Any oral meds? Usually there is more than one step to combating ringworm, aside from the cleaning aspect.

Here are more articles to read, in case you haven't seen them:

Ringworm Infestation In Cats: The Housecleaning Regime

Ringworm In Cats: How To Win The Fight

AS far as using the mousse you were given and it being dangerous for cats, I think if you use it per the instructions, massaging it in thoroughly and letting it air dry, then brushing them, you should be ok. If you are really worried about that, then I would ask your Vet about why he prescribed something that could be harmful and see what they say...ask HOW to proceed when cats lick themselves. Unfortunately, even the lyme sulfer dips (very commonly used for ringworm) are the same way, and cats get wringing wet with them and have to air dry That takes a LOT longer than the mouse massaged in would take, i imagine.

Best of luck. Let's hope it is NOT ringworm

 

[Princess Softpaws]

We moussed them all on Monday and they weren't too bad about it. It didn't smell horrible; although, it made their fur kind of greasy. We have a plastic kitty brush so I used that after they had dried then soaked it in Dawn detergent and warm water. We've been cleaning like crazy, but haven't isolated the kittens. We have hardwood floors and tile throughout most of the living space with only 2 bedrooms that are wall-to-wall carpet. We don't allow them in those bedrooms, but they'll have to be cleaned eventually. It's been 2-1/2 weeks and no sign of lesions on my husband or me.

Chai, who is 99% white and has a downy coat, doesn't seem to have anything on him. There was a small spot behind one ear and it's not grown and is fading. Annacat has one lesion above her eye and a smaller one above the other, but they haven't grown and she hasn't gotten any others. Only Bengali has larger lesions in multiple locations (poor boy).

My husband is convinced dabbing apple cider vinegar on the lesions will get rid of this, but I don't want to stop the mousse treatment the vet prescribed for the next 3 weeks, and I don't know how apple cider vinegar will mix with the mousse. I'm skeptical.

I suppose after 3 weeks of moussing, we'll get our results and probably have to start lime-sulfur dips, which I'm not looking forward to. Our vet said we can bring them in every Saturday and they'll do it, but besides the money that will cost, I've read that the cats will smell like rotten eggs and their white fur will turn pea green! So I'm worried that my now extremely clean house will smell like rotten eggs and anything they rub up against will turn pea green, too.

I love these little guys. We lost Miss Kitty right before Christmas (12/21). She started having seizures at 6 p.m. and died at the ER by 9 p.m. that night. Very sudden and heartbreaking. Annacat, Bengali, and Chai are just little love bugs and I'm not going to withhold my love and attention. I ordered a bunch of plastic toys for them to play with so I can wash them every day.

Sorry this is so long, but just wanted to let everyone know how we're dealing with this for reference. Tomorrow is their next moussing day so I feel like if I'm going to try the apple cider vinegar, I should do it today to avoid interaction with the fresh mousse.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

Sorry to be so late in responding. WAs having PC issues until just a few moments ago. IF you use apple cider vinegar, be careful as it can "burn" them on those lesions unless diluted. I did find this article about it: Apple Cider Vinegar: Holistic Healing for Cats

 

[Princess Softpaws]

Thank you MrsGreenJeans. My husband is suggesting the apple cider vinegar because Bengali has a new, large lesion on his back that's very red and irritated looking. Our vet gave us this Douxo Chlorahexidine Mousse and we're supposed to do 2 pumps per kitten head to tail every 3 days, but there's a sense of urgency in treating this and we're not scheduled to go back to the vet until 1/26. I have a feeling it's going to be out of hand by then. Of course they're closed today and if you call an ER Vet, they want you to bring the cat in for $100 or more just to tell you whether it's okay to apply the mousse more frequently. I'm skeptical of the apple cider vinegar and other home remedies. For myself, I've never found home remedies to be effective, and in fact had a really bad reaction to a vitamin C serum on my face awhile back that took me a month to get over and did nothing but irritate my skin. I don't want to apply something that's going to hurt them and then have it do nothing but sting.

I left a couple of messages for my vet and they will hear from me first thing tomorrow morning, so will keep updating this thread in the hopes that our experience will help others in the future.

 

[Princess Softpaws]

We are officially diagnosed with ringworm and right now the worst part about it is the debate. The vet said to continue with the moussing every 3 days and that apple cider vinegar or Lamisil is fine to use directly on the lesions daily. At this point, they're not prescribing oral medication or lime-sulfur dips unless we want to take that course of action. The one thing our vet has stressed is the importance of isolation.

Initially, the debate was whether this was more like when authorities issue hurricane warnings and preparations. We live in Florida so are very familiar with the frenzy surrounding an impending hurricane. Many times you are left with a surplus of batteries and bottled water, etc. So is this the same type of issuance by our vet? Is he urging us to strip the entire house and nuke it for morbid (to quote Ripley from Alien) because if he doesn't, we'll be too lackadaisical about it? Believe me, we haven't been. My house hasn't been this clean since I had my entire in-law clan over for Easter. It's spic and span and my hands are dried out and my back is sore enough to prove it.

We have hardwood floors throughout most of the house and wall-to-wall carpet in a spare bedroom that I use for an office because I work from home. Our master bedroom has a small bathroom off it (all part of the same room) and then there's a small guest bathroom. Right now, we can't use the master bathroom due to plumbing issues so the guest bathroom is off limits for the cats. It's way too small anyway. The litter boxes would have to be in the tub! And besides, I don't know about you, but I'd be in tears all day every day if I had to listen to 3 little kittens crying because they were locked up in a cage and/or bathroom. So I'm campaigning for us to move out of our master bedroom and let the kittens have free reign of it. Of course, my husband is against this idea because dismantling and moving a king-size bed is labor intensive. But other than the bed, we have one small upholstered chair, two nightstands, and the area rug to move out. I'd leave the dresser.

This is how I think...Imagine you're a little kitten with your little kitty friend and sister in a shelter and then one day people come and adopt not only you, but all three of you! They take you home and it's all love and fun. And just as you're 100% committed, they take away all of your toys and lock you in a cage where you have to sleep over your litter box (pew!) or in a stuffy bathroom and either watch them through bars or listen to them through the door. You'd cry and wonder what you did wrong. You might not like these people as much anymore. I can't do that to them.

In our bedroom, they can run and play and get fresh air. We can keep their litter boxes in the bathroom. And we have a flat-screen TV mounted on the wall so they can still have voices when I'm working. And we can go in and play with them. I bought a bunch of plastic jingle balls that can be easily washed after use and I'm already in a routine of swapping out towels and blankets for them to cuddle on day and night.

My husband is leaning towards the purchase of a large kennel, but again, I work from home, and I just know that after a few minutes of looking at these three little faces cooped up in a cage I'd be defeated.

I'm not looking forward to him coming home tonight to hash this out like we did last night with the apple cider vinegar - which by the way, the vet is of the opinion does nothing. It doesn't harm the cat, but it doesn't do anything to get rid of the fungus.

 

[FeebysOwner]

All said and done - get the vet to give you an oral treatment for the ringworm. It doesn't mean you can (or should) stop all the other things you are doing, but you are going to have much more success with one of the following anti-fungal drugs (included in one of the articles I provided to you):

Systemic anti-fungal drugs
Several anti-fungal drugs are available that are usually very effective against dermatophytes although some may be better than others. Systemic therapy usually has to be given for a minimum of 6 weeks. Example include:

• Itraconzole – commonly used and one of the most effective drugs for dermatophytosis in cats
• Griseofulvin – this is an old drug that used to be commonly used – it remains effective, but itraconazole is an easier and more effective treatment
• Other drugs – others such as terbinafine and fluconazole have also been used successfully to treat dermatophytoisis in cats but may not be as effective as itraconazole in most cases.

If you have not already done so, I strongly urge you to read the articles I provided before. There is a lot of helpful information in them - and perhaps will help you with your husband to understand some things he may not at this time.

Not to be mean to your husband, but I live in Florida - so I know about hurricanes. His & your vet's idea of a solution kind of sounds like putting a tarp over a mobile home during a hurricane, hoping that saves the residence.

 

[Lmiller]

We've had Bengali, Chai, and Annacat for 2 weeks and took them for their first vet visit yesterday to find out that the scabby patches on their ears is most likely not from aggressive kitten play like the rescue told us and is ringworm. They took a culture, gave us Douxo Chlorhexidine Mousse to apply every 3 days, and advised us to thoroughly decontaminate our house while locking these 3 little love bugs (no pun intended) in a small bathroom. I'm upset because Chai and Annacat are a bit shy anyway and it seems like horrible punishment to confine them like that. We also bought a $300 cat tree that they love and the vet is telling us to throw it out.

In reading about this mousse treatment, it says it's toxic if ingested, but the cats are going to ingest it because cats clean themselves. It also says to keep away from ears, eyes, and mouth, but it's on all 3 of their ears and Annacat has a spot above her eye.

On the bright side, we have area rugs and hardwood floors in all but 2 rooms so we can roll them up and ship them out to be cleaned - even though it will be a small fortune. This site gave me some comfort about the rest of it and I'm hoping that I can use Vibax to scrub down the cat tree then let it air dry in the sun. If it ends up with bleached out spots, I can live with that.

So has anyone had experience using this Douxo Chlorhexidine Mousse? Does it cause them to be ill?

Hello! I recently rescued a very kitten off the street and quarantined him for about a month... but that didn't stop all of us (two humans and two other cats) to catch his ringworm.... They all had ringworm throughout the entire house. On their cat tree, the couches, their beds, MY bed, etc. I did not clean any of those things (except my sheets) and everything is fine! (Ringworm is a fungus that grows in damp and warm areas, the spores can stick to fabric but it will not survive)

My vet gave us a liquid medication for the adult cats and a shampoo for the kitten. The shampoo worked wonders on his nasty case of ringworm and eventually we were all healed. If you are concerned about the mousse, ask about the shampoo. My kitten purred the entire time he was getting a bath.

If you happen to get ringworm, they sell creams at drug stores that worked for us. Make sure to wash your sheets and hands regularly. I ended up changing my pillowcase every night and using disposable makeup applicators so that I didn't spread the spot I had on my face.

Do some reading online! There are a lot of myths about ringworm. If you are careful and diligent, you will get rid of it in no time! Good luck!

 

[Princess Softpaws]

We're getting Itraconzole oral medication today and will give them that daily, one week on/one week off, as well as continuing with the mousse every 3 days for the next 3 weeks then test. This weekend, we're moving out of our bedroom so the kitties can have a large space to live during treatment. It feels good to have a plan that everyone agrees will be the most effective and least stressful for all involved.

Thank you for your replies. I've read the articles suggested and they gave us great advice that we are implementing along with our vet's recommendations. I'll keep everyone posted!

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I"m so glad you are starting on an oral medication as well as the mousse. I'm sure you also feel much better giving these little ones the run of your master bedroom . Great work convincing your hubby this was the way to go

 

[FeebysOwner]

I am too glad to hear you have them on oral meds, in addition to the mousse treatment. I am keeping my fingers crossed for you that your plan works - I am sure it will!!! Yes, please do keep us posted!!