Ringworm in Cats – All you need to know

Some interesting facts about Ringworm:

• It is extremely contagious and can easily spread to other pets and the humans in the family.
• The disease is generally identified by patchy, circular hair loss with central red rings.
• Ringworm spores are hardy and can live in the environment for up to 18 months.
• It is possible for a pet to carry ringworm spores and show no symptoms – they are asymptomatic carriers.

How is Ringworm transmitted?

There are a couple of ways that a cat can contract ringworm:

• Direct contact with another infected animal
• Indirect contact with bedding, bowls or other surfaces that have ringworm contaminated skin cells or hairs, like soil
• The period between exposure to the fungus and development of symptoms is usually 7-14 days (in some cases this is longer).

Who is most at risk?

• Kittens less than a year old and senior cats seem to be the most prone to infection.
• Cats who are immunocompromised are also more susceptible.
• Shelter or other crowded environments cause rapid spreading.
• Warm, humid conditions promote ringworm infections.

What are the symptoms?

• Skin lesions are most commonly found on the head, ears and front legs, more severe infections will spread over the whole body.
• Usually there will be flaky, bald patches with an apparent red centre.
• Where the ringworm is mild, you may only see localised areas of redness or dandruff, changes in fur or skin colour, scaly or crusty skin.
• Rough, scaly, hardening of the base of the nails or nail distortion.

How do we diagnose Ringworm?

Due to the infectious nature, you should visit your vet for an accurate diagnosis, if you suspect your pet has ringworm. Ideally separating/quarantining your cat until the outcome of the vet visit is a good idea, as this infection can so easily spread to other pets. We recommend thorough handwashing after touching suspected ringworm pets.

Your vet will not usually make a diagnosis by simply looking at the skin. Some veterinarians may use a wood light (fluorescent lamp) to diagnose ringworm or may examine a fungal culture, under the microscope, taken from the cat’s hair or skin cells. Sometimes a skin biopsy is required.

How will Ringworm be treated?

Treatment depends on severity!

• Sometimes a special antifungal shampoo or ointment is sufficient to kill the fungus
• Oral medications may be prescribed
• Most solutions will involve long periods of treatment due to the hardiness of the fungus. Sometimes this is 4-6 weeks and sometimes several months of treatment is required. Follow up fungal cultures should be done.
• Treating the cat’s environment is essential to the prevention of reoccurrence.

The team at Otaki Vets will be able to help you with limiting the risk of ringworm spreading to other pets and the human members of the family. Just remember by the time the diagnosis is made, the other pets will have most likely already been exposed. We may recommend the following:

• Bathing all the pets with a medicated shampoo.
• Washing the infected cat’s bedding and toys with a disinfectant that kills fungal/ringworm spores.
• Careful hygiene to remove all pet hair from the environment.
• Discarding items that cannot be thoroughly disinfected (such as a carpeted cat trees).
• Thoroughly wash your hands after you bath or touch your ringworm cat.

Ringworm can be challenging to resolve, particularly in a multipet family. If you have any concerns or questions, please contact the team at Otaki Vets on 06 364 6941