Hey Belinda,
Thanks for the info. I'd like to add the 2 instances I've had to deal with it though.
One I've told before. My boyfriend got it on his leg. None of his animals had it. He must have got it from a shelter animal or the soil. I never got it from him, and none of my animals did either. I think some animals/people are more resistant to it than others maybe? He had it badly and finally had to go in to the doctor and get put on oral med.s to get rid of it.
The other 2 instances were 2 different friends who took in some shelter kittens with ringworm. They, on the other hand, had an awful time with it. They kept them in the basement away from their cats upstairs, but they both got it, and it took months to get rid of it on the kittens! The cats kept reinfecting each other even when they would separate them. They had to change clothes going up and downstairs, bleach EVERYTHING downstairs, etc... They were really at their wits ends.
My vet at that time actually suggested bleaching ths spots themselves on the cats and the people with a very dilute bleach solution! Evidently bleach kills it better than anything. Of course they used creams, etc. prescribed by the vets, and one had to use the oral med.s finally.
The thing about being airborne is simply that as a fungus, ringworm reproduces through tiny spores that can get airborne and spread very easily. I've heard stories about people having to wash carpets, furniture, etc.... to get rid of the spores.........
So I guess a lot just depends on the case. I would suspect a basement, being typically more damp, would breed more spores as well..........
As far as Cherie goes, I would drive the cat with a towel over the carrier as someone already suggested and go straight to the vet and pray it's not ringworm. lol.
If it is ringworm I would keep it in a totally separate area of the house and keep its cage covered so as to not spread the spores any more than absolutely necessary. An air purifier might help with that. I don't know. As anything else, I think kittens are more susceptible to it as well as cats with lower immunity.
t
Belinda Sauro <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Belinda Sauro <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Hi All,
Looking up ringworm I found this, from what this say's it doesn't appear that it is an airborne contagent, although it is highly contagious (I have had it on a cat before and I was told to use regular athletes foot creme and for us it did work, I got a little spot on me and the creme cleared it up on the cat and myself, this was many years ago, so don't know if that is still the treatment for it. This cat only had one small spot so we never had a major problem.):
- People can get Ringworm from: 1) direct skin-to-skin contact with an infected person or pet, 2) indirect contact with an object or surface that an infected person or pet has touched, or 3) rarely, by contact with soil.
- Ringworm can be treated with fungus-killing medicine.
- To prevent Ringworm, 1) make sure all infected persons and pets get appropriate treatment, 2) avoid contact with infected persons and pets, 3) do not share personal items, and 4) keep common-use areas clean.
How do people get Ringworm?
Ringworm is spread by either direct or indirect contact. People can get Ringworm by direct skin-to-skin contact with an infected person or pet. People can also get Ringworm indirectly by contact with objects or surfaces that an infected person or pet has touched, such as hats, combs, brushes, bed linens, stuffed animals, telephones, gym mats, and shower stalls. In rare cases Ringworm can be spread by contact with soil.
http://www.astdhpphe.org/infect/ringworm.html
Another good site that seems to confirm this:
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