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My cat might have ringworm. Can I use Griseofulvin or see a vet?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Male | neutered | 3 years and 4 months old | 14.9 lbs

Hello there! I think my cat suffers from "ringworm". I have Griseofulvin at home. Can I give him this medicine? or do I have to be sure if it actually there. If it is.. can I give it to my smaller cat too? as a prevention? If it is ringwork what else should I do?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Jessica Keay, DVM

Answered By Jessica Keay, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on May 10th, 2017

I am sorry to hear about your kitty! I would recommend a visit to your vet for a test to see if this is truly ringworm. You do want to know if this is ringworm because it can be transmitted to people if so, and to other pets. Your vet can use a special light to examine the area and if it doesn't show any infection they may pluck some hairs to do a ringworm culture. Griseofulvin used to be the common treatment for ringworm but now there are other medications we often use which we feel are more effective with fewer side effects. Here is an article with information on ringworm http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=559 . It is possible this is ringworm, but we can also see bacterial infections or insect bites that can show circular bald areas like you are seeing so it is best to find out for sure!
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