help! kitten with strange patches!

tfak85

i got a kitten from the DSPCA on tuesday, everything has been fine so far but today i noticed that he has a few slightly scabby patches, a couple near his arms and one little one on his ear...
from google i get the impression this could be ringworm but the DSPCA told me he was only just wormed recently...
what should i do, is there any shampoo or anything i can use that might help, weather or not it is ringworm....

thanks.

also, how likely is it that myself or flatmate will get this on our skin?

Medievalist

I don't know anything about kittens, but my dog had small brown scabby spots and the vet said it was from harvest mites. Gave me something to give her for a week and she's fine now. May be worth a visit to the vet?

Enjoy the new kitten . It's always great to hear an animal has a new home

tfak85

thank you, i don't think i have time to get home and then take him to the vet tomorrow after college but i can stop into the vet on my way home, i've taken a picture to show them so hopefully they can tell me what to do..

i know it's really wrong but i feel totally freaked out by him now and really itchy too (i understand this is completely psychological)...:eek:

Aru

ringworm in spite of the name is actually a fungal infection...so it might be that in a wormed cat...if you suspect it is id take a quick trip into the vet even if its just to ask at the counter about ringworm...be warned tho ringworm can be transmitted from cats to people and dogs

this site shows some pics of what ringworm is like on cats
http://www.cat-world.com.au/Ringworm.htm

good luck with your kitten

dee o gee

If you put a black/ultraviolet light to her the scabby bits should glow/change colour if it is ringworm!

lorebringer

It could be a minor skin infection, best get the kitten to a vet asap to make sure it is nothing too bad. If it, unfortunately, is ringworm then it is quite contagious and you or anyone who has come into contact with the kitten could get it. Ringworm is a fungal skin infection, over the counter shampoos or worming the kitten will not do anything to stop the problem. You'll need to get special treatment and perhaps an antibiotic to prevent any secondary infections.

Also, it would be a good idea to contact the DSPCA and inform them of the situation.

tfak85

thank you so much everybody, i am now totally freaked by my cat and feel like i'm not loving my baby like i should!!
gonna call the DSPCA in the morning, and the vet down the road to see what i can do... will my petplan cover anything at all?

Medievalist

dee o gee wrote: »

If you put a black/ultraviolet light to her the scabby bits should glow/change colour if it is ringworm!

That is the coolest thing I've ever heard about a fungal infection!

Orla K

I found a cat recently and he had some little scabby bits all over him. He had lice (which I sprayed him for) the lice went away but he still has those little scabby bits. Ask the SPCA did it have lice/mites when they got him.

Also if you don't want to be paying money to the vet for what might be nothing, the nurse might have a look at him first to see does it need to see the vet, it's free around me.

dee o gee

Medievalist wrote: »

That is the coolest thing I've ever heard about a fungal infection!

Its actually kind of disgusting, when the hamster had it done he was sitting on my hand and lets just say I wash my hands a lot more now!!:eek:

The Sweeper

Ringworm in cats can manifest in different ways, but beause it's a fungal infection they're often not 'covered' in patches. sometimes there'll just be one bald, slightly raised patch, sometimes two or three.

Ringworm is treatable, but it is contagious and the cat will need to be isolated from other pets and medicated for a few weeks. A lot of shelters will put a ringworm kitty to sleep because of the expense and time associated wtih treating it, but if it's just your kitten, and you're not under pressure like a shelter is, you can treat very successfully and the cat will never look back.

Still, off to the vet with you, and get whatever it is properly identified!

anniehoo

It could be any manner of things, mites, allergy, flea reaction, ringworm etc. As stated above ringworm is a fungus so a wormer will have no effect on it, you'll need somethng called griseofulvin. But, again..as others have said it really can only be diagnosed through your vet and it is a zoonotic fungus (can be passed on to humans, ive had it) so wear gloves and get her straight down just in case.

tfak85

hi guys, i brought pickle to the vet this evening and got him checked out.. she did the blacklight test and gave him a good look over but didn't know if it is ringworm or not.. i have some medication that i've to give him everyday for a while (fun times) and she took a hair sample for testing so i'll know for definite in a couple of days....

it came to 160euro! i know i'm gonna sound like a right bitch but i am going to mention it to the DSPCA tomorrow when i give them a call (not just about the fee but mostly to check the other cats).....

as for the contageousness of it the vet told me that most healthy people my age (mid20s) have been exposed to ringworm at somestage and not to worry...i am, however, still itching (psychologically) and still slightly rejecting my baby (he is in the kitchen)....

thanks again for all your replies people, really appreciate it!

Ado86

Only 50% of ringworm cases show up on the UV lamp...and FYI griseofulvin is no longer licensed in Ireland. More expensive treatments now unfortunately take its place ...look like they've got the monopoly!

anniehoo

tfak85 wrote: »

it came to 160euro!

What exactly did the vet do for that money?Thats a ridciculous charge!!! A Woods Lamp check takes 2 minutes and any medication you got shouldnt have been that expensive.

wrote:

the vet told me that most healthy people my age (mid20s) have been exposed to ringworm at somestage and not to worry

Again... You're not immune to ringworm once you've had it. Its a fungus..you are susceptible regardless how many times you've been exposed.

The Sweeper

tfak, go out and buy a box of disposable gloves. Put a pair on when you want to handle the cat - extreme measure, but at least the cat will be handled and stroked. (Plus you have them if you ever feel like dying your hair.)

trishawisha

Hiya I wonder if you saw this thread?
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055685409
We're going back to the vet this evening, still have no clue as to what it might be, but it sounds alot like milliary dermititus that one poster suggested.
My vet told me that adults are unlikely to catch ringworm if it could be that, and if I wanted to find a child and expose the kitten to the child to see if ringworm shows up(he said this jokingly)

Fair play to you for getting the pet plan, we were going to get it, then she got the soes, so the vet said if I got it now anything to do with any sores on her body would not be covered
Best of luck with the kitten!

tfak85

oh my god, those sores look really sore! your poor kitty!!
anniehoo - the charges were about 46 to see the vet, 58 for a fur sample to go to a lab to check what spores were on it and 55 for the medicine i have to give him, how bananas is that!!!!

my better half got onto the DSPCA today and they were glad he called and let them know, they are gonna check pickles brother and sister (now also gone to different homes) and give us a call when they know anything more... if it is ringworm or anything requiring further treatment they will take on the cost of it.. i couldn't bring him there yesterday because i had a really long day in college (9-6) and don't drive so would have to take taxis both ways... anyway, we'll see how the next couple of weeks go!

oh yea, the initial option they gave my boyfriend was "come and pick another kitten"....eh, no!

jinxycat

Wow that was alot of money for that, it only costs about five euro for the cream for the treatment of ringworm. I'd a cat who had ringworm before and it only cost something like 40 euro for the whole lot.

When will you get the results back to know if it is or not??

I know when my cat had it it spread very quickly nearly all the top of her head was bald from it and drove her mad with itch.

tfak85

jinxycat wrote: »

When will you get the results back to know if it is or not??

I know when my cat had it it spread very quickly nearly all the top of her head was bald from it and drove her mad with itch.

yea, the vet told me a couple of days but the DSPCA said it takes a few weeks! i feel reassured with your tales of itch because pickle just has a couple of small patches and is not itchy at all! fingers crossed it just goes away...

trishawisha

Hiya just an update of my kitten with strange patches- the vets yesterday- he reckons its an allergy....it could be absolutely anything in the house or garden causing it( ie harvest mites, dust mites-even though our house is relatively new and kept fairly clean) so he has givin her another shot of a steroid, as she reacted well the last time, and for the foreseeable future she will get a shot once a month, gradually spacing out the time inbetween.
The shots once a month are going to cost €20 so thats alright. I went away happy because he really spent the time with her and I felt he was confident this would work.
He told me about a dog he is treating with a similar problem- after extensive testing, a vaccine was made up and the dog was getting on well for a couple of months, then they returned and he is now on a dose of steroids once a month. In the long term the steroid is supposed to effect the liver(if the steroid is taken indefinatley) but it should be ok for a little while.
My kitten didnt seem to be itcy either, I never caught her scratching until a couple of days ago-then she was scratching so hard she broke the skin....so her claws were clipped yesterday.

Best of luck with your kitten, I hope ye get to the bottom of it!
xxx

Medievalist

Trishawisha, my vet always gives my dog homeopathic remedies if he can. I was more than a little sceptical at first, but they actually work! She's on one all the time for incontinence (which absolutely works) and had to take one for a while for an allergic reaction to harvest mites. There are no side effects like steroids, so perhaps if it's going to be a longterm issue you could consider that?

summer_chic

I was reading this with interest because one my girls has had lumps which didnt seem to bother her, but her ears are slowly getting bald.. small patches and I noticed her sister has started to get them too. They're now 18 months old and we've had them since 9 weeks, but they've both had beautiful coats until the last couple of months. I kept them both in until after they were fixed and they're in at night all the time. One of them started hunting sucessfully about 3 months ago and has had a collar with a bell since. They were at their annual check up & boost in July and I pointed out the furry one's neck where she had a small lump which she'd scratched but he said it was most likely acne (?! ) he treated them then with the flea drops which go on the back of their necks and wormed them. Since then I've noticed the one with the collar's chin looking a bit black and then the fur has lessened. Then the other one's ears started to look thin in parts and then little bits.. now I've noticed her chin is looking bare too... I think I'm just going to bring them back to the vet, they're due another worming treatment anyway, but there's a wild area next to where we live and they regularly come home covered in muck & other stuff so they could have picked up anything...

I was told that the dry food I'm feeding them might be causing it, but its supposed to be really good for them and thats why their coats ( apart from their poor little heads ) look so good ...

tfak85

it would be strange to think the food could be causing it because i know that dry food is supposed to be great for cats/dogs coats!

so, the DSPCA called my boyfriend today, they had pickles brother and sister come in for a look, it is ringworm... since he started on his (very expensive) medicine no more patches have appeared and the ones he has have not become any worse which is good...
the incubation period for ringworm is 4-14 days so i guess in about a week we will know if we got it or not... fingers crossed we don't!!!!

The Sweeper

Fingers crossed you don't have it, but it's good to know the medication will work (takes a bit of time though) and your kitten will be returned to full and marvellous health!

Pickles is also very lucky to have you - I don't know if the DSPCA would have persisted in treating him!