Cat owners might all know that ringworm is a popular skin disorder that can be transmitted from cats to dogs. But can you get ringworm from a cat scratch? And what to do when the condition be transmitted to humans, especially children?
It is not news that cats, which are vulnerable to skin infections, upper respiratory infections, parasites, Feline Leukemia Virus, allergies, toxoplasmosis, and a lot of other conditions commonly found in humans, are the cleanest animal of all kinds. And they mostly spend up to half of their awakening time taking care of their own hygiene. However, if your lovely kitty's dignified poses have given way to non-stop licking or scratching, it is not simply their habit to keep themselves clean so that their potential predators cannot find them. A skin problem or a fungal infection of the skin may be to blame.
What Is Ringworm?
What is ringworm?
Unlike what its name suggests, ringworm also known as tinea is not related to a worm of any kind. It is a fungal infection typically showing up as a round red hairless ring-shaped patch on people and all domesticated species of animals. Dogs are affected by ringworm but cats are even more often. And young cats, cats with weak immune systems, or kittens are really susceptible to ringworm infection.
Causes Of Ringworm
A group of fungi responsible for the ringworm infection is called as dermatophytes.
Types Of Ringworm
- Athlete’s foot - Tinea pedis;
- Jock itch - Tinea cruris;
- Scalp ringworm - Tinea capitis.
Is Ringworm Dangerous?
The potential risk of any serious illness caused by fungal infections is not high as they do not often spread below your pets’ skin surface. However, this common skin disorder can affect the skin on different parts of the body and bacteria might enter and cause an infection if the skin is broken. Without right and on time treatment, ringworm can widely spread. The latter the treatments are applied, the more parts of the body will be affected.
Ringworm Symptoms
Usually, only after from 4 to 10 days contacting with the fungus do the symptoms of ringworm of the body start and it can take up to 3 weeks for the development period of ringworm lesions. The bad news is, some cats have no typical skin symptoms of symptoms at all and their infection can just spread to others. The good news is, whenever there are symptoms at these infected cats, it is pretty easy to identify ringworm infection (tinea capitis). The following symptoms might indicate that your cats get ringworm:
- Ring- or circular-shaped rashes on the tail, head, or the ridge of the cat’s back with slightly raised edges;
- Hair loss associated;
- Skin’s redding, scaling, thickening, crusting, and thickening;
How Is Ringworm Diagnosed?
How is ringworm diagnosed? There are three common ways. Through several physical diagnostic examinations, visible signs of a ringworm lesion can be identified.
- Observation;
- Wood’s Lamp;
- Microscope;
- Fungal culture.
Can you get ringworm from a cat scratch?
Bacteria may enter and cause an infection if the skin is broken. The exceedingly contagious nature of the fungal infection is the reason why your kitty is a common source of infection and this example of a zoonotic disease can be transmitted to humans from a cat scratch. Studies have proved that dermatophytes – the organism commonly causing ringworm infections in cats causes up to 13% of ringworm infections found in humans. Moreover, children less than 15 years old are especially vulnerable to ringworm.
Therefore, especially for those living in a house that contains infected pets, it is important to understand the symptoms and know all the treatment options.
How To Prevent Yourself from Catching Ringworm Infection?
If you do not want to suffer from blisters caused by ringworm, take these following ideas into consideration:
- After handling, touching, embracing your kitten, make sure to thoroughly wash your hands with soap.
- Use a disinfectant that can eliminate ringworm spores to wash your cats' toys, bedding, dishes, grooming utensils, litter box as well as other paraphernalia thoroughly.
- Don’t hesitate to discard any pet supplies that cannot be disinfected.
- As the spores can survive on these hairs, you should remove loose hair by vacuuming your flooring regularly.
How To Treat When You Catch Ringworm?
How To Treat When You Catch Ringworm?
Can you get ringworm from a cat scratch? Yes, you can. Within our life, 20% of humans will get ringworm at a time. Have you ever got ringworm infections? You might find them unpleasant itchy fungi, but don’t worry, in both cats and humans, a ringworm infection is a treatable condition. It is not difficult to treat the resulting infection.
One thing to remember: We have nothing to do with worms. For infected people with a good health condition, an ointment is used to treat this itchy but not a serious infection. However, ringworm can be big deal for those with weak immune systems or for the babies, kids, or seniors.
Depending on the severity and the types of ringworm, treatment can be different. However, in general, specialized shampoos, ointments, or oral medications may be included.
Scalp ringworm
- Oral antifungals (tablets) are the most popular treatments for scalp ringworm. Yet, based on which type of fungi is involved, the choice of medication might vary.
- Terbinafine (Lamisil);
- Griseofulvin (Grisovin);
- Anti-fungal shampoos;
- Shaving off your kitty's head: When your cat’s ringworm is diagnosed, shaving off the fur might be suggested. However, it also depends on the level of widespread of the ringworm infection. It is believed to be able to reduce the amount of hair shed in your home and ringworm infection and accelerate the recovery time.
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