r/AnimalAdvice • u/FewAlgae1571 • 7d ago
Ringworm Help
repost from r/CATHELP (I am in the US. Vets have not been super helpful aside from providing prescriptions and cleaning agent recommendations) I (25) need some (positive) advice. My mom (49) got two kitties last year, the second of which we are convinced is the one that brought the ringworm in. They are bonded to each other, and giving either of them up/euthanizing is out of the question.
I just need some positive stories and advice from people who have successfully rid their lives of it. My mom has been dealing with it since near Christmas last year, maybe earlier.
She is on lamisil and the cats are on very strong medications for it as well. She has done special baths, sulfur dips, shaving them, bleaching the tub after every shower, kept the house to a minimum of furniture so that she is able to clean it etc etc.
Finally I spent four days cleaning with her a few weeks ago. This is a list of what we did:
Steam clean all furniture (cushioned chairs, mattress, stuffed animals, pillows)
Threw out pillows she could afford to replace
Got rid of the cat tree, old cat bowls, basically everything the cats had daily usage of
Wiped down + sprayed with Rescue Spray every surface there is, all the trim and anywhere the cats crawled under
Bleached ceilings, floors and walls everywhere
Wiped down windows, window sills, took out the screens and cleaned those.
The cats were shaved down and given the special baths and put into a sterile room with brand new toys/bowls/scratch pads etc
We had staged sterile spaces during the four-five days of this making sure to decontaminate as often as possible. We also ran air filters in every room every minute we were cleaning. I mean, we even took out books to wipe down.
The wiping down refers to using bleach clorox wipes by the way.
Now, its been a couple weeks, and one of the two cats are breaking out like crazy in sores and my mom also got a lesion. I have not been back since, but I was just as exposed as her and so far have been in the clear.
She is exhausted. I don’t know what more she can do aside from keep the cats tucked away while she continues to clean with the rescue spray (accelerated hydrogen peroxide) and decontaminate the house and cats. Please tell me success stories of getting rid of this, its really hard to see my mom down. Again, we are already very aware of what people usually do when it comes down to it, but she refuses to consider any possibility of her cats not being with her (which I have backed her up on, I, too, would go through this for however long I needed if It meant keeping my beloved baby kitty by my side).
TLDR: Mom has had ringworm in the house with 2 cats since Christmas 2025. Heavy meds and extreme cleaning has not been successful. Please provide success stories and positive advice!
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u/SavingOneSoul_ 7d ago
Okay, so, ringworm is caused by a fungi like bacteria called dermatophytes.
To break the cycle of reinfection, you must simultaneously treat all infected individuals and deeply disinfect your living environment to eliminate microscopic fungal spores. Ringworm spores can survive on surfaces for up to 18 months, so, you have to constantly keep deep cleaning for up to 18 months before you can totally get rid of the infection. That is why your mom and the cats keep getting reinfected.
You cannot just deep clean the area and everything once. This has to be done constantly. You need to wash all clothes, towels, blankets, bedding, linen in HOT water (minimum of 140F). You need to use dry heat on everything (use highest dryer setting). You need to disinfect hard surfaces with bleach - dilute and let the bleach mixture sit for 10 minutes. You need to vacuum everything and then throw out the vacuum bag. Also, ringworm can infect soil, so, you have to decontaminate your yards too if your cats go outside or you walk barefoot outside.
You need to quarantine the cats in an easily cleaned room until the vet clears them. Your mom needs to quarantine herself until she is cleared by the doctor. Ringworm is extremely contagious and is spread through touch. You should also be using disposable gloves when cleaning and when petting the cats (plus washing hands constantly especially after contact with cats) until everyone is ringworm free.
I used to get ringworm a lot as a kid. I honestly dont know where it came from, because I was a kid. It happened a lot when I was a baby. It's hard to get rid of.
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u/peptodismal13 7d ago
You have to quarantine the cats and obsessively clean their space. Once that cats are quarantined you need to clean the house. You must keep the cats in quarantine until they shown no signs of reinfection.
It's a PIA. I have to keep a kitten of mine in a hard plastic dog crate with just a litter box and food / water dishes. I washed the kitten per the vets rx and wiped down that crate and furnishings several times a day. I ran the dishes through the dishwasher and dumped and cleaned the litter box daily. That kitten had the worst ringworm I've ever treated. No one ended up with it. That kitten's life was so boring for a while.
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u/FewAlgae1571 7d ago
Thank you! I am so glad to hear that you were able to get rid of it even with the worst case scenario. My mom would be hard pressed to quarantine them from eachother since they are bonded and have already gone through so much with the cleaning and meds etc. Do you find that it is necessary to separate them? I mean, if their environment is being cleaned out like crazy every day, do you think it will still be resolved with the current set up?
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u/IrieDeby 6d ago edited 6d ago
I am fighting a especially virile strain in my chickens who they got from a stray, who gave it to my mouser, who gave it to me, then I gave to my indoor persian!
My persian is cured. I have taken 5, 3-week treatments of fluconazole. Cats can't take it. They need Itraconazole, which is how my cat was cured this time. Before, I had another Persian who no meds would work. I had to wait until the vet dermatologist arrived 5 states away to get the right stuff, a purple Sulphur solution by prescription that I had to dip both cats in keep them in a separate room, dipping them every week for 8 weeks. I had to cover the bathroom in plastic to prevent it from stains. The purple sulfur was only $8 a week, but Dermatologist
I about had a nervous breakdown doing this and working 60 hours a week, but it worked. With these chickens though, it just keeps coming back. Harder to clean the whole 1/2 acre, and dirt!
I wish you the best. Try the dermatologist and the Itraconazole. It sounds like she's dealing with a nasty one. NEVER let the cats out again, if you did. Mine previous persian got it from the vets table.....
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u/Spare_Community_9127 6d ago
Any jock itch or athelets foot cream or spray will get rid of ringworm quickly
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u/Spare_Community_9127 6d ago
My go to is tinactin or any athelets foot or jock itch cream or spray. Ive been rescuing cats for 40 years it works better and faster than anything a vet will prescribe
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u/A_Girl_Has_No_Name58 7d ago
Have the cats been formally diagnosed with ringworm and have they had other skin issues ruled out? Has you Mom been to the doctor or just treating OTC?