An outside cat and also one feral cat had their kittens in our garage. They have access thru a pet door. Out local human society has a no cost spay/neuter program right now for outside cats. I took one adult male and four kittens (couldn't find the fifth one) in last Tues. The kittens are 10 weeks old. They did not have any openings for females and only one opening for a male cat. The male was neutered on Wed. and I picked him back up on Fri. I got a call this morning (Sun) cancelling an appt I had for today to take in a female and 2 males because the kittens I took in on Tues have ringworm. I have not seem any signs of ringworm in any of the outside adult cats around here. These are the ones that I can actually get close to. I'm not sure about the ferals as I can't get anywhere near them. From the faces that I've seen I don't see anything on their faces that might be ringworm. Wondering what I should do? I have an inside cat. Could I have unknowingly brought spores in the house on my shoes or clothing? I pet the outside cats and even pick up a couple of them whenever I go feed them. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I wash my hands when I come back in the house but not necessarily immediately until now.
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Ringworm in outside/feral kittens
- Thread starter gleason
- Start Date
Hi. Sorry no one has responded yet. I guess I would call and ask how the clinic detected ringworm on the kittens. If nothing else, your cat could be checked as well in the same manner and treated if necessary. Whether or not your cat is infected, you may need to treat your home, ongoingly, in order to get rid of any spores that are transported inside.
There are oral anti-fungal meds that all of the cats could take, but if you can’t feed them all individually, I don’t know how you would ensure proper dosing. There are topical treatments that work to rid ringworm, but again I have no idea how you would treat the cats you can’t touch.
I am hoping some of our members who take care of fetals and outdoor cats will still see your post and offer some ideas. Again, sorry no one has done that so far.
There are oral anti-fungal meds that all of the cats could take, but if you can’t feed them all individually, I don’t know how you would ensure proper dosing. There are topical treatments that work to rid ringworm, but again I have no idea how you would treat the cats you can’t touch.
I am hoping some of our members who take care of fetals and outdoor cats will still see your post and offer some ideas. Again, sorry no one has done that so far.
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- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
The staff member that called me said she noticed it on there paws and then used a blacklight. There were no signs when I took them in. Signs showed on Sun morning. So far no adult cat, that I can get close to. is showing any signs.
Ring worm is very common in outdoor cats and very easy to treat. I'm surprised that clinic didn't just deworm the kitten and tell you that any other kittens you bring in will have to be dewormed. That is what our local spay/neuter clinic would do. You may have to call around for a clinic that works with strays and ferals. Oral anti-fungal medications, such as itraconazole, are often prescribed for more widespread infections or infections that do not clear up with topical therapy. But topical therapy works well too. Thank you for helping these kittens and cats.
And the thing with ringworm is that if one has it, the others either do, or will, so it is perfectly reasonable to treat ALL the cats at the same time.
Despite the name, ringworm does not involve actual worms. Instead, it’s a very contagious fungal infection in cats that easily spreads from one cat to another and from cats to humans (and vice versa). Anti-fungal meds, orally and/or topically are what eradicats ringworm. Maybe you are thinking of hookworms or roundworms?
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #7
The staff member at the humane society specifically said ringworm. She said she noticed on the kittens paws. She did not say if only one had it or if all four that I took in had it. She said they would have to go into foster care while being treated. She was going to talk to the director today when she came in but I did not receive a call with any update.
