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Ringworm Guide for Fosters

On this page, you will find lots of helpful information on fostering cats or kittens with ringworm, administering dips, scheduling exams, requesting meds, and talking to potential adopters about ringworm.

Ringworm is a very misunderstood fungus that can often deter people from adopting or fostering ringworm positive cats. It is our mission to educate and advocate for these underserved kittens, reduce the stigma of ringworm, and help as many lives as possible while putting the Fun in Fungus!

WHAT IS RINGWORM?

Ringworm is the common name for a skin infection caused by a group of fungi. It is not caused by a worm at all. Ringworm is closely related to athlete’s foot in people, and it is contagious to humans. The young, old, and immunocompromised are more likely to get it.

Ringworm is also contagious to other animals. In cats, it most often will cause a circular area of fur loss that is red and might be slightly flaky. Ringworm can also have other characteristics but these circular, hairless lesions are the most common symptoms.

RINGWORM GUIDE FOR FOSTERS

Thank you for fostering a cat or kitten with ringworm! Treatment of a ringworm cat or kitten is typically 3 weeks to 3 months, however treatment may take longer in certain situations. Fostering this cat is very likely going to decrease the length of treatment time, as cats recover faster in the kind of loving, low-stress environment that only a home can provide.

Treatment may involve a daily oral medication and a twice a week lime sulfur dipping to help kill and control the spores. At the end of treatment you will have a wonderful ringworm-free kitty!

Ringworm Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is ringworm (dermatophytosis)?
A: Ringworm is the common name for the skin infection caused by a group of fungi; it is not caused by a worm at all. Most often it will cause a circular area of fur loss that is red and may be slightly raised. Ringworm can also have other characteristics but these circular, hairless lesions are most common. Ringworm is similar to athlete’s foot in people. It is contagious to people; the young, old, and immunocompromised are more likely to get it. Ringworm is also very contagious to other animals.

Q:Am I going to get ringworm from my foster kitty?
A: It is possible for you and anybody in your living space to get ringworm from your foster cat. Washing your hands after handling the cat can help reduce the chances of transmission, but some people may be at greater risk than others. This puts young animals and children, elderly people and pets, those who are HIV+, people on chemotherapy or taking medication after transfusion or organ transplant, and highly stressed people and animals at high risk.

Q: What if I get ringworm?
A: We recommend that you see a physician.

Q: What about my other animals?
A: In order to keep your other pets from getting ringworm we recommend that you keep your foster cat isolated in a room that is easy to clean, such as a bathroom. Washing your hands and changing your clothes in between interacting with your ringworm kitty and other animals can reduce the chance of spreading the fungus as well. Remember, your shoes can also be a carrier of the spores.

Q: What treatment will my foster cat need?
A: Your cat or kitten may be prescribed a once daily oral medication in conjunction with lime sulfur dipping. Instructions for dipping are explained in the videos below.

HOW TO SAFELY APPLY LIME DIP TO A KITTEN

Watch this video to learn how to safely apply lime dip to your kitten

This is also a very good video to watch

LIME SULPHUR DIPPING A KITTY WITH RINGWORM

SETUP, TREATMENT, & CLEANING

Fostering a cat or kitten with ringworm can seem like a lot of extra work. While it does require a couple extra steps, it’s actually pretty easy once you’ve established a routine. Check out these additional helpful pages below to find out more about treating your ringworm fosters.

Setting up a ringworm foster room:

Picking a space: The best way to limit the spread of ringworm spores is to limit the roaming range of the infected kitty. Here are things to consider when setting up a ringworm treatment room. Rooms with hard flooring are much easier to disinfect and clean than rooms with carpet. If you only have carpeted rooms, that's ok too, just remember to keep the space vacuumed frequently. If you have a bathroom or an empty room with tile or linoleum floors, that’s perfect.

Room size: The room should be large enough that the cat can stand up and move around easily, and have easy access to food, water, and litter. If you live in a studio apartment and don’t have a separate room, you can also keep them in a large wire dog crate. Covering their kennel with a blanket or tarp to help keep hair and debris inside the kennel.

Some things to consider:

Sometimes we get excited and want to buy all the cute things for our foster cats and kittens, but before you buy take a minute to consider how you are going to clean them.

When you have ringworm cats in your home, cleaning their space is very important to their recovery. You might be reluctant to pour bleach on those super cute toys or blankets you spent extra money on. Consider your local Goodwill or dollar store for towels and blankets.

Climbing cat trees are great and can be great fun for your foster, but your foster doesn't need something fancy! Consider a simple tree that is easy to clean or spray with diluted bleach. A cat tree with carpet and a bunch of nooks and crannies will just be more work for you down the line.

Litter boxes:

One thing we often overlook is litter boxes. We scoop the poop and think its clean. Wrong... litter boxes can carry all types of spores and left over bacteria from your foster. One idea is to use a leftover cardboard box. You can add a few scoops of litter and then just toss it all out when you need to. You can also use an old baking sheet with pee pads. If however you prefer a regular litter box, we suggest cleaning out your left over litter on a weekly basis.

SURPRISE RINGWORM

Surprise Ringworm Diagnosis? Don’t Panic!

At ACC, we work hard to make sure that each cat and kitten is examined for signs of illness, including ringworm, before they go to their foster or forever homes. However, sometimes a cat may not have shown symptoms when they were examined. Ringworm generally has an incubation period of 7-14 days, which means that a cat who is already infected may not show any symptoms for a week or more. When this happens, signs of ringworm will not appear until the kitty is already home with you. Don’t panic, though! While we do our best to avoid these situations in the first place, we are also here to help get you through them. Remember that this will pass!

Ringworm is temporary, and your kitty will be better soon. While a surprise ringworm diagnosis can be frustrating, with treatment and cleaning, it will be a thing of the past for both you and your kitty.

Get a diagnosis, and get started on treatment!

Getting an accurate diagnosis and starting your kitty on treatment for ringworm are huge steps in getting ahead of the fungus and preventing its spread. For cats and kittens in foster through ACC our Foster team team can set you up with an appointment and treatment plan.

Quarantine your kitty!

Picking a space: The best way to limit the spread of ringworm spores is to limit the roaming range of the infected kitty. Here are things to consider when setting up a ringworm treatment room. Rooms with hard flooring are much easier to disinfect and clean than rooms with carpet. If you only have carpeted rooms, that's ok too, just remember to keep the space vacuumed frequently. If you have a bathroom or empty room with tile or linoleum floors, that’s perfect.

Keep a change of clothes handy.

Keep a large sweatshirt or t-shirt, sweatpants, and a pair of flip-flops outside the room or area where you’re housing the kitty, and throw them on over your normal clothes whenever you want to snuggle, play with, or give medications to your cat. This will help prevent ringworm spores from hitching a ride on your clothing and traveling to other parts of your home.

Also, wash your hands well during and after your visits with your kitty and try not to touch your hair and face while you’re playing with them.

Clean like you’re expecting company!

The internet loves to tell people the worst horror stories about ringworm, but rest assured that there’s no need for drastic measures. Instead of thinking about it like a decontamination mission, imagine that you’re cleaning your home because you’re expecting a visit from a family member who you want to impress. Using the following procedures in the rooms that were directly exposed to the cat will help rid your home of ringworm spores:

Blankets, towels, soft toys, and other fabrics: For any fabrics that can go in the washing machine, your job is pretty easy! Recent studies have shown that hot water cycles and bleach are not necessary, which is good news for delicate fabrics. Instead, you should wash your fabrics in loosely packed loads using the longest cycle available, so that everything has space and time to move around in the wash water. It can also be helpful to use tape or a lint roller to remove as much fur as you can from fabrics before throwing them into the wash. Denim and terrycloth towels that were directly exposed to the infected cat should be washed twice to make sure they’re fully disinfected. For fabrics that must be hand-washed, focus on removing as much fur as you can before you start, and take your time agitating the fabric in the wash water. If you’re able to let hand-washed fabrics dry in the sun, the UV light can also help deactivate any spores you may have missed.

Hard floors, counters, and other surfaces: Start by vacuuming or dusting to remove as much fur, hair, and dust as you can. That’s where the majority of the ringworm spores will be hiding. In general, a vacuum or electrostatic mop with disposable pads (such as Swiffer dry mops) are preferable to brooms, which can hold onto spores and are hard to disinfect. For hard surfaces like tile, linoleum, and most countertops, a diluted bleach solution (1 part bleach + 32 parts water) can be used to spray or mop afterwards. For hardwood floors and other surfaces that could be harmed by bleach, use a cleaner that’s safe for them (such as Murphy’s Oil Soap and similar products).

Carpets, cat trees, and soft upholstery: For wall-to-wall carpeting, soft furniture like sofas, and carpeted cat trees, the first step is to use a lint roller or vacuum cleaner to thoroughly remove any fur, hair, and dust. After you’ve removed as much physical debris as possible, you can use a carpet steamer or shampooer to disinfect by making two thorough passes over the surface.

Hard toys and other small objects: Some objects, like plastic cat toys, can be soaked in a diluted bleach solution (1 part bleach + 32 parts water) for ten minutes. For electronics or items that can’t be soaked, remove any visible dust, and then wipe them down with a disinfecting wipe or a paper towel soaked in a gentle cleaner or diluted bleach solution.

Cardboard scratchers and other paper products: It’s generally not necessary to disinfect every paper product in the house. However, if your cat had a cardboard scratcher or liked to lounge directly on top of your pile of unopened mail, it can help to clean those objects, too. If it’s something you can throw away or recycle without a second thought, that can save you some time. However, if it’s an important document or a fancy scratcher, remove any visible fur or dust (consider using a vacuum cleaner for scratchers), and let the object sit in direct sunlight for an afternoon to help deactivate any spores that are present.

Repeat cleaning only in areas that are still being exposed!

After your cat is diagnosed, you should use the above steps to clean all the areas that your cat had direct access to; however, you only need to do so once. There’s no need to keep cleaning areas that your cat isn’t in anymore. On the other hand, the room where the cat is living during treatment should be deep-cleaned as described in the previous step once per week.

Keep treating and monitoring!

Keep up with the treatment prescribed by us or by your private veterinarian. Although there is no treatment that can make ringworm completely non-contagious, the oral and topical treatments prescribed do help reduce the risk of transmission significantly. Monitor your human and animal family for new rashes, itchy spots, or hair loss, and make an appointment with your doctor or veterinarian if you notice any. Unfortunately, state law prevents ACC from providing medical advice or treatment to humans or animals who aren’t legally in our custody.