Ringworm in Old Cat

[tigressbythetail]

I have an old cat who lost a strip of hair on his head. Looked like someone shaved him, not at all the round bald spot typical of ringworm. The vet didn't see anything under the black light but took a scraping and later confirmed that it was indeed ringworm. Asked if I wanted Griseofulvin in liquid or pill form, I chose liquid. Scooter has been healthy all his life and has never had to have any type medicine. He's also Mr. Cool himself, and I did not anticipate having any problems giving him medicine. Well, I was shocked when I saw how MUCH I had to give him. 10 cc! Believe me, that's a large dose to stick down a struggling cat's throat! Even cutting the dose in two was still a lot. Within a few days I called it quits and decided to try the pills. I was wasting more of the medicine than I was getting down Scooter's throat. Come to find out, I would have to order the pills and it was $200! I thought the liquid was bad enough at $45 a bottle. And then I guess the size of the pill was a problem, as the manufacturer had for some reason stopped making the small pills, but even at that I thought I could cut the pill up and get it down him. Anything but sulpher baths! But the vet suggested trying a compounding pharmacy who could make the pill smaller, though it would probably still be expensive. But come to find out they can make it in liquid form and it will only take 1 CC! And even better, they can do for $40! Something to keep in mind if any you ever have to deal with this.

Okay, now. Scooter is at least 12 years old. He was an adult when he came to live with us, so I'm not sure exactly how old he is. I've read that ringworm is a young cat disease and that only a senior cat with a compromised immune system would be likely to catch it. I am sure this cat has been exposed to everything there is for a cat to be exposed to, so I think it's odd that he showed up with this. None of the others show any signs of having it, knock on wood. It would be a disaster if it spreads as I have a lot of cats. I have read two thoughts on the treatment of ringworm. One goes to extremes in treating it and the other says not to treat it, as it self-limiting in most, at least in young cats. Since Scooter's a senior, I will treat him but I was just wondering what your thoughts are on this. To treat or let it run it's course?

[Vivid Dawn]

*puzzled look* You're treating ringworm with oral medication? I've never heard of that!
My first 6 months or so of working at the cat shelter, I had to take care of several cats with ringworm. All we did was spray them with a topical medicine, and change their blankets daily (and wipe down the cages with bleach-solution).

Ringworm spray $6

Ringworm spray $6

You can either put it in another squirt bottle, or just put a squirt bottle 'lid'/top directly in the medicine bottle. Yes, it does stain white fur, but it grows out of course!
I've heard that putting iodine on the spot, with a Q-tip, in the last stages (1 or 2 weeks) can help get it cured faster. When I cared for shelter cats, I sprayed after I did an iodine swabbing.
Most importantly, don't rinse it off! And if you can keep them from licking it off, that would be good too... won't work if it's not on! Spraying 2 or 3 times a day, without taking the previous dose off, is what the bottle says. But at the cat shelter, we only went once a day...but they got over it eventually.

[Greenport ferals]

My neighbor's cat developed ringworm. I had never seen it before. Sure enough, one of my cats picked it up.
I looked for a natural cure on-line and heard good things about apple cider vinegar. I wiped the area with apple cider vinegar several times a day and it cleared up within a week. Good stuff.

[mimitabby]

YOu can also use Program, the anti flea stuff.
if it's on the top of the cat's head where he can't lick it, you can treat it topically too. Athlete's foot medicine, over the counter; cheap!

[Susan]

I would tend to treat, particularly if there are other cats involved. You're right in saying that ringworm is normally only contracted if the cat has a compromised immune system (or very young, etc.), but that's "normally", not "always". So, I'd tend to err on the side of caution and treat.

[tigressbythetail]

Thanks for the replies. The only other option I was given was sulpher baths, and as I said, I want to avoid that at all costs!

Yep, Griseoflulvin. I think it's actually a human med, which is why it's so expensive. I did get some antifungal ointment while I'm waiting on the compound. Also the Vet gave me Tresaderm to apply.

I will definitely continue to treat. If any others show up with it, I will try some of the ideas here, but so far so good. My nine bratz have proven to have very healthy immune systems so I'm hoping for the best.

Scooter is a pretty special guy. My husband, never much of a cat person, belongs to him. Scooter befriended him when my husband came home from Iraq and needed someone to talk to. They had long talks out on the patio, where Scooter had been living an independent life for years without much need of us. Before long, this cat who had never been inside the house in all the years he had lived on our property, was sleeping on the bed with us everynight with perfect manners and my husband was feeding him ice cream out of his bowl. They are a perfect match for each other, which just goes to show there is a cat soulmate for every person.

[tigressbythetail]

Scooter is ringworm free!

We were not able to finish the Griseofulvin, after spending over a hundred dollars on it. I had to take him off it. He began losing his appetite and acting depressed but the ringworm has resolved on its own. Another scan at the Vet's showed no fungus! The rest of the gang show no signs of it and it has been well over a month since this all started. Thank my lucky stars!

[Mom of 4]

Ringworm treatment usually lasts for 4-6 weeks, as this fungi is a slow grower. And the medication affects it during the growth phase.
Oral medication is prescribed for people who have it in their hair - topicals don't work well in that area for people.
Topicals do work well for cats and dogs. The catch is that even with treatment, you will see more hair loss (already infected areas that just haven't lost their hair yet) before it gets better.
I am concerned that the treatment has been stopped at this point. Please watch for any signs that it is still there.

[tigressbythetail]

The doc scanned him and seemed satisfied. But if it comes back, I'll use the topicals. He's lost a pound since the treatments started, and a pound doesn't sound like much but it sure looks like a lot on an eleven pound cat!