Can a child get ringworm from a cat?
The fungus needs a warm, dark, and humid place to grow. So public showers, pools, and locker rooms are common places where kids might pick up ringworm infections. It can also spread from pets and other animals, like dogs, cats, or rodents.
Can humans get ringworm from kittens?
Yes, ringworm is contagious to people and is caught through touching an infected cat. You cannot catch ringworm if your skin is unbroken, but if you have a scratch, graze, wound or suffer from a skin condition such as eczema, you may catch the infection but it’s usually easily treatable.
Can I pass ringworm to my child?
Overview. Ringworm is a fungal infection that fortunately doesn’t have anything to do with worms. The fungus, also known as tinea, takes on a circular, worm-like appearance in infants and children. Ringworm is highly contagious and easily transmitted.
How do kids get ringworm from pets?
As with transmission among humans, direct contact or contact with objects the infected animal has touched (such as bedding, grooming articles, saddles, furniture, carpeting, etc.) is responsible for spreading the infection. Ringworm is a treatable condition in both animals and humans.
Is it possible for a kitten to get ringworm?
Kittens are also more likely to have more severe types of ringworm infections as well. Elderly cats and cats with a weakened immune system are often more likely to get ringworm. How Do You Diagnose Ringworm in a Cat?
Can a unsocialized cat be treated for ringworm?
The trauma of treating an unsocialized cat for ringworm and bringing him into the vet is more harmful than the ringworm infection itself. That said, treating your pets and yourself can help reduce the length of infection and help stop it from spreading to other animals. And ALWAYS treat kittens who are infected.
Why are long haired cats more susceptible to ringworm?
This is especially the case in multi-cat households because it’s spread through infected hair and skin follicles which cats naturally shed. Ringworm is much more common in young cats and long haired cats. This is because young cats (under one-year-old) are more susceptible to the infection due to their immune systems not being fully developed.
What kind of ringworm does a barn cat have?
Tinea corporis is the medical term for ringworm of the body, the most common type of fungal infection known simply as ringworm. A barn cat with ringworm. About 40 different species of fungi can cause ringworm. You heard that right.
Other studies have shown that in 30%-70% of households in which a cat develops ringworm, at least one person will develop the condition. Young children, the elderly, and people whose immune function is compromised for any reason are most susceptible to the infection.
How long does it take for ringworm to clear up in cats?
Ringworm can take weeks or months to clear when an infection has developed. Keeping your cat in their best health is the best way to ward off this itchy and lingering fungal skin infection.
What can you give a kitten for ringworm?
Oral medication is a crucial component to ringworm treatment, especially in a shelter or foster home. There are several oral anti-fungal drugs available for kittens, but itraconazole, fluconazole, and terbinafine are the most commonly used to treat ringworm in cats. Compounded itraconazole is generally not recommended due to lower efficacy.
What kind of worm does a kitten have?
Ringworm, despite its misleading name, is actually not a worm at all–it is a fungal infection of the skin and hair. This funky fungus preys on the young and immunocompromised, putting kittens at a high risk of infection when exposed.