My kitten has ringworm. Could my older cat be a carrier? How to tell?

The treatment is with an oral antifungal, it's not recommended if your kitten is asymptomatic as this medication can have severe side effects. The medication is prescription only and can be given only by your vet, in this specific case I do not believe any vet would recommend this treatment though.

I would recommend treating both cats because up to 20% of ringworm affected cats can be asymptomatic carriers, meaning that you will not see any symptoms but they are still carrying the ringworm and can spread it. It will not hurt to treat the other cat. If the ringworm is spreading and not resolving, a different treatment needs to be considered and I would discuss this further with the prescribing veterinarian. Griseofulvin and topical treatments like ketoconazole can be used to treat ringworm but sometimes this depends on the ringworm species for which medication is most effective. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! Oh no! I am so sorry about your son! I would bring your Cat to the Vet. Sadly a lot of cats can be carriers of ring work but show no skin lesions. Also be sure to discuss with your pediatrician other causes of ring worm in people. Ring worm in Veterinary medicine is diagnosed from a fungal culture and treated with antifungal oral pills (itraconazole, terbinafine, etc) and lyme sulfur dips. It is not fun. The CDC has a lot of resources on ring worm in people https://www.cdc.gov/fungal/diseases/ringworm/index.html http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=559 I hope this helps and I wish you all the best!

Hi and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sorry to hear about your kittens. The answer to your question is no but the mother is probably the source of the ringworm. Adult cats can carry ringworm (fungus) and not show any clinical signs. The fungal organisms are on the hair and skin so direct contact and even contact with shed hairs can be a source of infection to the kittens. I would advise you getting the kittens to your veterinarian. They can get a history and do a physical exam and then they can advise a diagnostic plan. A Woods lamp exam, fungal culture or other skin tests may be needed to diagnose this. Once a presumed diagnosis is made, treatment can be started while awaiting test results if needed. Your vet may advise topical treatment of the lesions and/or oral anti fungal meds to treat this condition. The worst part of this is that ringworm is very contagious to all pets in the household and all family members (Zoonotic Disease) so it's very important to get a proper diagnosis and treatment. Good luck.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Sadly some cats can be carriers. I would encourage you to ask your Vet to do the fungal culture. If it is negative I would feel more comfortable telling you he is fine to be put up for adoption. Or you just have to tell the adopting family that he had ringworm so they are aware. Good luck!

I am so sorry you having to deal with ringworm. It can be very frustrating to cure, because even cats that don't have symptoms can still harbor the fungus in their coats. Healthy adult cats will usually clear the fungus on their own with time, though it could take several months. You may talk to your vet about options, such as medical boarding, where Milo could be kept and treated so that you didn't have to chase him around the house. This will hopefully help clear the fungus sooner than later. Another option is to compound the oral medications into a cat treat that you may be able to feed to Milo, though you will have to watch him closely to make sure he eats it and not one of the other cats.

It certainly is possible that Stiletto has ringworm. I would take her into the vet, who can use a Wood's lamp and fungal culture to diagnose if she does have ringworm. Should she have it, the vet can prescribe an antifungal treatment for it. Your other cat will have to be treated for it, as it's highly contagious, and keep an eye on yourself to make sure you don't have ringworm lesions as well because it's contagious to humans. You will also have to disinfect the home, as ringworm spores can live in the environment for up to 18 months: http://www.livestrong.com/article/49666-rid-home-ringworm/