What Are the Treatments for Feline Ringworm?

Causes of Feline Ringworm

• Despite the name, feline ringworm is not caused by a worm at all. Rather, it is caused by a fungus that lives in the top layer of the cat's skin, hair follicles and sometimes inside the claws. There are three types of fungus that can cause feline ringworm: Microsporum gypseum, Microsporum canis, and Trichophyton mentagrophytes. Microsporum canis is the most common cause of ringworm in cats. However, cats can be infected by Microsporum gypseum from the soil if they are allowed outside. Cats that come into contact with infected rats and mice can get Trichophyton mentagrophytes.

Symptoms

• If your cat has ringworm, you may notice extensive dandruff and loss of hair. One of the hallmark symptoms of feline ringworm is the appearance of circular, bald skin lesions covered with scaly, flaky skin. Small, pimple-like bumps filled with pus may appear in the middle of the bald patches. You will most likely observe these on the head, ears and tail, but they may appear across the entire body.

Topical Treatrments for Feline Ringworm

• There are several topical treatments available for feline ringworm. Of these, a lime and sulfur wash is the most effective. You will need to bathe your cat using the wash twice a week for the first two weeks after you receive a diagnosis. After the first two weeks, you can reduce the frequency of the dip to once a week for the next 6 weeks or until your veterinarian tells you to stop the treatment. Your vet may also prescribe an anti-fungal cream like miconazole or thiabendazole. In some cases, they may prescribe anti-fungal washes containing miconazole instead of a lime sulfur dip, but lime sulfur dips are usually considered to be more effective. If your cat has long hair, your vet may also advise you to shave it to ensure that the treatment is effective.

Oral Treatments

• In cats with severe ringworm infection or in cases where topical treatment alone is ineffective, your veterinarian may prescribe a drug to help your cat fight off the infection. There is only one drug that has been formally approved to treat ringworm in cats, an antifungal called griseofulvin. Griseofulvin should be given with food. Since cats cannot absorb the drug unless they have fat in their stomachs, your veterinarian may recommend that you switch to a high-fat diet while your cat is taking griseofulvin. Other drugs, including ketoconazole, traconazole and terbinafine may be prescribed if necessary.

Side Effects

• All treatments for feline ringworm come with some risk of side effects. The lime sulfur dip treatment has the least severe potential side effects. However, it smells horrible, like rotten eggs, and may stain your cat's fur an unattractive yellow color. Griseofulvin has more serious side effects, including breeding abnormalities, birth defects and liver damage. It may also cause your cat to stop producing bone marrow cells. For these reasons, griseofulvin should never be given to breeding or pregnant cats. If you are using griseofulvin to treat your cat for ringworm, call your vet immediately if anything seems amiss.

Prevention/Solution

• Since ringworm is highly contagious, there are some steps you must take to keep other members of your household from being infected while your cat is being treated. First, make sure to sterilize all grooming equipment after each use. Vacuum your house thoroughly, and toss the vacuum cleaner bag in an outdoor trash can. Use a 10 percent bleach solution to disinfect all hard surfaces that your cat has come in contact with. To prevent your cats from getting ringworm in the first place, keep them inside and away from infected cats. Since ringworm is so easily spread between people and cats, there is no way to prevent it entirely. However, there is a ringworm vaccine that can make high-risk animals less likely to become infected after exposure.