My cat's ringworm cream rubs off and irritates her eye. What to do?

Your can rinse her eyes well with water or with isotonic saline eye rinse. Then I would recommend a follow up with your veterinarian tomorrow to see if there are any concerns or any precautions moving forward. Best of luck and thank you for using Pet Coach.

Hello. Yes, sometimes ringworm can be stubborn. If your cat has numerous lesions, or they are along the eyes and mouth, your cat should be on an oral antifungal medication. Also, cats will often lick the medication off as soon as you apply it, so it is not effective. If you are not using an Elizabethan collar, that could help prevent licking. Cases that do not respond to topical treatment often do better with a prescription oral antifungal. I would also make sure that it is actually ringworm. It may need to be rechecked by your veterinarian. Thank you

Hello and thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. You should rub Lamisil into the skin as soon as you apply it. Creams get absorbed rapidly into the skin and rubbing it in will enhance absorption even more. Lamisil is not toxic when ingested but it may produce upset stomach, so your Batty may vomit if she keeps licking it. Licking the cream off may slow down the healing. If after 10-14 days there is no improvement to the skin, your vet may have to change the treatment to anti-fungal tablets.

The cream isn't harmful but I have never come across a topical medication that has been effective for treating ringworm in cats aside from prescription-based lime sulfur dips. The concern is that the Microsporum canis (fungal organism causing ringworm) is spread diffusely throughout a cat's entire hair coat, such that an isolated topical spray will not cover all surfaces of every hair, and lead to frequent recurrence. Since the topical treatment isn't working and Nova's spots are worse, I would go back to the vet to get an oral treatment. I hope that all goes well!

Miconazole and clotrimazole are the most common topical anti-fungal medications that we use for ringworm, but you will want to consult with your veterinarian before starting any treatment for ringworm to make sure that Pita Boo is confirmed to have ringworm, to make sure that he doesn't need oral medication as well and to make sure that the topical product is safe for cats. I am including a handout on ringworm below for your reference which discusses treatment. https://veterinarypartner.vin.com/default.aspx?pid=19239&id=4951439 Good luck! I hope that was helpful. Thanks for using PetCoach.

It would be best to bring Cata into your vet to confirm the ringworm (they can look at it under a special light to confirm it) and get a medicated shampoo or oral medication to treat it with. As ringworm is contagious to other pets and people, it is best to keep Cata isolated from other pets and to thoroughly wash hands/change clothing after handling the affected area. Keeping Cata from scratching at it with the use of an Elizabethan (cone) collar can also help prevent the spread to the rest of her body.

Clotrimazole (Lotrimin) can be tried, with or without the steroid. It is always recommended to apply a thin layer of the product on the skin and allowing it to air dry for 20-30 minutes. The product should not be allowed to be licked by your pet during the drying timeframe, and gloves should be worn when handling this medication. Use care when treating a large area, smaller areas of application are preferred. If no improvement is seen within 7-14 days then most pets require an oral anti-fungal prescription medication from their veterinarian.