Injured Mom's Kittens Break out in RINGWORM!

Yuk. Ringworm has struck the injured mom's kittens. I was suspicious of Jiggles from the beginning and kept examining her, because she had the characteristic dry feeling fur, but I could find no evidence. I let the examination go the last couple days. Then, just when someone arrive to look at another kitten, I spotted hair loss between her toes. Ringworm!

I immediately isolated her and her two brothers, even though they show no signs. I sprayed her feet with tinactin and put anti fungal cream on one spot I found on an ear. I sprayed everything they had touched and mopped the floor. I sprayed tinactin in their litterbox, too, in their isolation hutch.

The adoptors took Shady anyhow, and Pixie has been taken in, too, by a friend. Ringworm can strike kitten catteries and spread to other kittens through the spores. Time to contain the outbreak. It is absolutely understandable that the three with the injured mother would have ringworm, after what they've been through. You'd have to see the yard and broken down flea infested tenant slum where they were attempting to survive to understand why I have been checking them almost daily for any sign of ringworm. Slumlord city.

Ringworm is a fungus. It starts like athlete's foot, between the toes, and spreads when a cat scratches. If they have earmites, which these kittens did, it spreads quicker because they are scratching at their ears so much. Any open scratch can help the process. At least this is what I've found, in the cats with ringworm I have encountered, that earmites contribute to its spread because cats or kittens, that encounter the fungus and it attaches to a toe or claw, spread it to their ears and face when they scratch. So, I immediately trim toenails blunt on ringwormees.

Ringworm is extremely common in Oregon. It is very well sanctuaried in straw. Straw holds all sorts of molds, because it often sits on the fields and gets damp before baled and distributed. Fungus loves dampness. Ringworm is most easily caught by the young, old, excessively exposed, and immune compromised. It also is caught easier through a scratch. I'm a bit worried, since I'm heavily scratched currently. But I've had it before. No biggee.

There are treatments. Some still believe in lime dipping and will dip kittens, cats, dogs, puppies, small children, old people in stinky awful lime dip. Some believe in shaving, but shaving often nicks the skin, causing further spread of the fungus by blood system.

Some treat with an internal anti fungal pill. I'm of the old school, that I don't think ringworm to be that big of a deal. I isolate the kittens affected, spray them full body twice weekly with an over the counter anti fungal, and spray or cream their feet, especially between the toes, and any obvious hot spots, twice daily. I often spray the litter they use and any other cat exposed uses, with tinactin or anti fungal. I often will spray a flea comb or cat brush with anti fungal and comb them, that sort of thing. Other than that, I don't worry about it that much. It's something kittens can get. And get over.

Sure it's frustrating when you want to move kittens quicky into homes. But....these things happen.