Ringworms are not worms. When you see circular areas of hair loss on your pet (even if they're not itchy), it's likely ringworm. Take your kitten or cat into the vet to confirm the diagnosis, and if it is ringworm, it simply means your pet has been infected with a fungus. The medical term for this condition is dermatophytosis.

Ringworm Is Contagious

Ringworm is extremely contagious and is usually seen in young animals, most often those who have a weakened immune system. Your cat can pass it on to you, your children, and to other animals. Then you and the kids can infect someone else or other animals. And that's not all -- not only can ringworm be passed on to others, it can spread to other parts of your body!

The reason why ringworm is so contagious is that the fungus can be anywhere. It can be in the grass, on the sidewalk, in flowerbeds -- it can even be in the air ducts of your home. This is because during the incubation period of the fungus, it develops spores. These are easily picked up by you or your pet and when you move around, the spores drop off into the carpet, furniture, clothing, and bedding. In this manner, the spores can even be picked up by your heating and air conditioning units so that they're actually circulated throughout your home.

It is imperative that you have your animal treated as soon as possible. In addition, see your family physician in the event you are infected. In most cases if the fungus is treated properly you will start to see improvement within the first few days, and it takes up to 10 days for a complete recovery. However, the doctor or your vet may recommend continued treatment for up to 2 or 3 weeks to make sure there is no reoccurrence of the infection.

What Does Ringworm Look Like?

In most cases you will spot the fungus on your cat's head, around her ears or eyes or on her paws and nails. Usually, hair is lost in round patches and you'll see flaky red skin, also in circulate forms. Your kitten or cat will probably be scratching and licking the afflicted area quite a bit, and you'll notice more fur plus patches of flakey skin on the animal's bedding, on the carpeting, your clothing and furniture.

There is a variety of the fungus which tends to concentrate in the pads of the cat's paws or under the nail beds, so see if you can take a look at your cat's paws for any sign of soreness.

If you're infected, you too will very likely be itchy in the area where the fungus has penetrated the skin. As it continues to fester you will see a red circular pattern on the infected area and you may observe dead-looking skin flakes. Again you should contact your doctor for treatment.

Please note that in some cases there are actually no outer signs of the fungus infection on your cat. However, it can still be a carrier and infect you and everyone else in the house. If you suspect your animal is a carrier, make a appointment to see your vet.

Ringworm Treatment

Ringworm can be treated, and sometimes even goes away by itself after a period of time. In the majority of the cases, the vet may prescribe an antifungal cream and shampoo. It’s usually a matter of shampooing your favorite pet every other day and applying the cream as directed by the vet. Ask if you can use vinegar too -- it's known to kill fungus and has no side effects that some medicines mights have. Like the cream, you'd just wipe the affected skin a couple of times every day.

Not too surprisingly, your personal physician will recommend a very similar treatment for you or your child. It's possible s/he may prescribe an antifungal soap and cream, but might just as easily instruct you to pick up the soap and cream over the counter at a local drugstore.

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