When can my cats leave ringworm quarantine after starting treatment?

I hate to hear that Boo has ringworm. The main problem with spreading is due to the spores of the fungus found in the environment. The spores are attached to pieces of shedding hair and can be active in the environment for months in ideal conditions. Environmental clean up is a must to control this fungus. As far as Boo himself goes, the topical treatments will help to remove the contagious spores faster and the oral medications will help to kill the fungus faster which will result in less spores. Unfortunately, Boo is considered contagious until he has two negative cultures done 1 week apart. Most cats will be start re-testing for ringworm 2-4 weeks after initial diagnosis. Here is a very helpful link about ringworm including environmental clean up: https://www.petcoach.co/article/ringworm-in-cats/ I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

I've found that if you wash your hands after handling Sierra and do not have any open wounds it is uncommon to catch this from her. Since you've treated her and are giving the medicated baths she should be even less likely to spread Ringworm. Follow your veterinarian's advice on treatment but if she's been treated now for two weeks or more she should be safe to handle. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Sierra.

Poor kitty. Treatment for ringworm can certainly damage their relationship with their owners. Try to spend some time with her playing that doesn't involve treatments and medications to help your bond. There is not usually much of the fungus left after 4 lime dips, so I usually re-evaluate my patients at that time. After 4 weeks of treatment I would have Sierra re-examined by your vet to see if she is still infective. By this time she shouldn't be losing any more hair and you might even see some regrowth in her areas of hair loss.

Since you are treating both of them, yes they can stay together. You will also have to disinfect your home, as ringworm spores can live in the environment up to 18 months. I will put a link below on how to do this: http://www.livestrong.com/article/49666-rid-home-ringworm/

I recommend waiting until there are two negative fungal cultures to reintroduce a cat with ringworm back into the household. I typically would culture again in about three weeks. Every vet has a different protocol that works for them however so ask your vet!

It can take 3-4 weeks to to a few months to clear a ring worm infection in a cat. Please make sure to also clean her bedding at home very well and give all medications as directed by her veterinarian. It is important to have her rechecked at the end of treatment to make sure the infection is resolved. Best of luck with kiwi.

If the area is still glowing even if you have treated for 2 weeks, I still recommend continuing treatment and would state that Chloe does in fact still have ringworm. I have seen some animals needing treatment for 4-6 weeks with oral medication and topical. Sometimes scabs and dandruff can glow under the light and it can appear that the area is glowing when in fact it is just the scabbing or dandruff. If it is truly the skin lesion then I typically have clients treat for another 2 weeks and recheck again. I hope Chloe feels better soon and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.