Ringworm in cats

I am sure your cat is a lovely pet. However, it is very easy for your cat to lose the cute, innocent, germ-free look once it has been infected by ringworm. If you are one of those people who have never suffered the shame and pain of these ringworm, you may not understand how itchy your cat may be feeling if it has ringworm.

But before we look at how cats get ringworm and how you can rid your cat from them, it will be good if you knew what exactly they are.

Well, ringworm is not a worm at all. In fact, it is not even an animal. They got the name from the ring-like patch that they form on the infected skin. This patch, which is made up of tiny rashes, usually appears to be lifted above the rest of the skin.

The infection.

For you to know how to rid your cat from ringworm, it is good if you know how the cat was infected in the first place. Normally, cats get infected after coming into contact with other infected cats, pets, and human beings. At times, this contact does not need to be direct. It only needs your cat to come into contact with items that have had previous contact with infected animals or people. These items include, mats, beddings, chairs, clothing, or soil.

Once the cat has come into contact with the fungi, it will take around 10 days for the fungus to show. After this time, the fungus will break out and start growing on the cat as it seeks to spread and establish itself on the cat.

How to find ringworm.

Finding ringworm on the cat can be quite hard. This is because most of the cat's skin is covered with fur and this may make it hard for you to notice the rashes. If you want to detect the fungus early, start by first looking at the fur-free areas such as the ears. This is because these parts are not covered by fur and hence the rashes cannot be hidden.

On the other hand, if you look for the signs on the body of the cat, then you may end up noticing them too late after the cat develops rashes all over its body. By this time, the fur would be falling off and it would have spread the fungi to mats, beddings, chairs, and other pets.

The Cure.

After you realize that your cat has ringworm, the next step ahead of you is to make sure that you deal with the infections completely. You need to attack the ringworm from all sides. If the infection is on the early stages, then common antifungal cream will do the job. On the other hand, if the infection has spread, you may need to put in more effort. Your vet may tell you to use lime Sulphur. Here you will dip your cat into the solution so that the solution can penetrate every part on the skin. The bad thing about lime sulphur is that it smells pretty badly and it may even affect the cat's fur for some time.

Regardless of what you choose to do, you must always keep in mind that the best way to deal with ringworm is to keep good hygiene. Treat all other pets in the house just in case they are infected. Also remember to treat places where that cat has been spending a lot of time. This will help destroy the ringworm lifecycle.

Summary

Here is a summary of this article:

" Ringworm is not real worms. They are fungus.

" Cats too can be infected by ringworm.

" The cat will catch ringworm after it has been exposed to an infected pet, person, or item.

" Ringworm will start to show on the cat close to 10 days after exposure.

" The best way to detect the infection is to look at the fur-free areas such as the ears. Since they do not have much fur, these areas easily expose the rashes and the patches.

" When ridding your cat from ringworm, you will need to be consistent and thorough so that you can control the spread of the fungi within your house.