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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / January 2005

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Getting ringworm off furniture

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yerk5@hotmail.com - 12 Jan 2005 15:06 GMT
I apologize in advance that this isn't a cat question per se. I do love
cats and grew up with them. Currently, I can't have any as my gf is
very allergic to them.

Anyway, this is about ringworm. And there have been some posts about it
in this group, so I assumed someone might have some good tips. I
recently moved into a new apartment, where the previous owner had 2
cats. I also furnished it with some used furniture from someone who
owned 4 or 5 cats. About a week later, I got hit with ringworm.

I've never, ever had ringworm in my 27 years, despite how much
athletics I've taken part in. Suddenly I have it. So I'm extremely
inclined to believe it's from dander from one of the cats.

So my question is, after I'm treated and cured, how can I prevent it
from happening again. It could be potentially anywhere on my carpet or
furniture. Is there some sort of cleaning procedure that anyone would
recommend to most likely kill any remnants of ringworm. Many thanks in
advance!
Jim Lawton - 12 Jan 2005 16:02 GMT
>I apologize in advance that this isn't a cat question per se. I do love
>cats and grew up with them. Currently, I can't have any as my gf is
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
>recommend to most likely kill any remnants of ringworm. Many thanks in
>advance!

There's a lot of info on the web if you google for it. Thorough vacuuming,  and
if possible steam cleaning of fabrics, with washable surfaces cleaned with 10%
household bleach seems to be the sort of recommendation.

The reason i'm posting, is that I was just talking to a vet this a.m. who was
saying that she thinks you develop immunity once you've had it, as she caught it
while training, and that although she has handled many animals with ringworm
since, she's never caught it again.

One of our cats is currently positive for rw, and being treated,but neither our
other cat, nor we  have caught it. There are different types though, some
obviously much more infectious than others.

Oh, I also read it last around 18months in the environment.

All you can do is clean as best you can - maybe a bit of lateral thinking - put
throws over your furniture, which you can wash frequently.

Jim
Magic Mood Jeep? - 12 Jan 2005 16:13 GMT
> I apologize in advance that this isn't a cat question per se. I do
> love cats and grew up with them. Currently, I can't have any as my gf
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
> recommend to most likely kill any remnants of ringworm. Many thanks in
> advance!

When a couple (!!!) of kittens I have were infected with it, I asked the vet
about it, and here's the scoop:

Ringworm is a fungus, much like athlete's foot. A fungus like mold or
mildew.  Once you have it, it's everywhere.  The only way to get rid of it,
he said jokingly, is to burn down your house.  He mentioned a Dr. somewhere
that advocated bleaching everything in order to kill the fungus spores, but
she finally realized that you *can't* bleach *everything*.  Once it's there,
it's not just on the surfaces, it's *IN* everything:  walls, furniture,
heating/cooling system, carpeting, insulation....

It's a matter of whether you are susceptable to it.  The kittens got it when
they were little, had been taken away from their mama & were in a scary
place, so their immune system was down.  I got a few spots of it myself as I
was stressed from lack of sleep (my husband was a salaried worker in a
factory that the wage earners union was on strike, he was there with the
'scabs',working in horrible conditions (racial slurs, death threats &
whatnot), for 48-64 hours at a time.  Plus I was caring for these 4 babies,
feeding them every 4 hours).

The best way to get rid of the ringworm on yourself is to buy a strong
athlete's foot cream (Tinactin is one brand), and apply to the affected area
liberally, then cover with a banage to keep from scratching it.

Or you can get a Lym-sulfer dip.  If you can stand the rotten egg smell,
this is the route to go.  Kills the fungus, fleas, mange.... and other skin
parasites. http://www.dvmpharmaceuticals.com/display.html?c=2&fam=LymDyp

Hope this helps, and thanks for making me itch all over ;)

--?
The ONE and ONLY
lefthanded-pathetic-paranoid-psychotic-sarcastic-wiseass-ditzy
former-blonde in Bloomington! (And proud of it, too)? email me at
nalee1964 (at) insightbb (dot) com
http://community.webshots.com/user/mgcmdjeep

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