Cats

[mr_roboto]

Got the lads fixed today (because, uncut adult males can be problematic) and now they are struggling with the "cone of shame" (as the woman at the vet called it). And it is a serious struggle for me, for it is heart-wrenching to see them flounder around, yet how can something be so sad and so comical at the same time?

Seems odd that your vet provided a cone of shame for this particular surgery since modern laparoscopic techniques make spay and neuter incisions so small they don't need protection from licking.

As a hobby I do volunteer TNR (trap-neuter-return) work to get outdoor unsocialized cats fixed and vaccinated. The county animal care agencies who do the surgeries never bother with cones as they'd be very impractical. Captivity is very stressful for unsocialized cats, so the standard of care in TNR is to hold them overnight post-surgery (to be sure anesthesia has fully worn off, don't want a loopy cat wandering into traffic) and release in the morning. Any cone would have to come off at that point, and it's problematic to handle a fully alert unsocialized cat.

 

[Roller]

We took our 10 y.o. adoptee to the vet the other day to check a few things, including a baldish spot on his ear. Turns out it's probably ringworm – not dangerous in the usual sense, but an incredible nuisance because it's so contagious to other pets and humans. The cat is now quarantined in his bedroom, which he's decidedly not fond of, and we're turning the house upside down, vacuuming fur and sanitizing every surface, which will include steam cleaning all the sofas and chairs and a large rug. We've also been doing laundry and keeping our air purifiers running non-stop.

I've read that this could go on for months or longer, even after the cat has been treated with oral medication for a few weeks and has had negative cultures, which aren't cheap. Have any of you dealt with this and have any advice or words of encouragement? Or should I check with the CDC (Cat Disinfection College)?

 

[mr_roboto]

I've not dealt with ringworm myself, but I've heard tales from people who, much like you, adopted a cat that turned out to have it. None of them had experiences differing much from what you've already related - it's a pain in the butt and it takes a minimum of weeks to go through the quarantine and treatment. Main thing I can relate is that they all got through it okay, and probably with less effort put into sanitizing than it sounds like you are doing. (Not to discourage you from doing it, especially if the cat had the run of the house for some time before diagnosis.)

BTW, for anyone picturing actual creepy crawly worms, that's another annoying thing about ringworm - its name is very misleading. No worms involved, it's a fungal skin infection.

 

[Roller]

I've not dealt with ringworm myself, but I've heard tales from people who, much like you, adopted a cat that turned out to have it. None of them had experiences differing much from what you've already related - it's a pain in the butt and it takes a minimum of weeks to go through the quarantine and treatment. Main thing I can relate is that they all got through it okay, and probably with less effort put into sanitizing than it sounds like you are doing. (Not to discourage you from doing it, especially if the cat had the run of the house for some time before diagnosis.)

BTW, for anyone picturing actual creepy crawly worms, that's another annoying thing about ringworm - its name is very misleading. No worms involved, it's a fungal skin infection.

Thanks so much for your reply.

Yes, ringworm is a misnomer of sorts, since it's caused by multiple species of fungi. The most common one in cats is Microsporum canis. Of the many other fungi that cause ringworm infection, there are even some that are emerging as resistant to standard treatment, just like other pathogens.

We're going into our cat's room a few times a day to clean his litter box, change his food and water, and give him some attention. But it's not the same as when he was happily running around the house. He's fearful, hiding under the bed, and meowing loudly when he's alone in the room.

The guidance on cleaning up the environment is variable. We've been leaning toward doing more rather than less, even wearing gloves and gowns when entering his room. I'm still unclear on what it will take to fully decontaminate the house, though. Fur, which is where the fungus attaches, is impossible to completely eliminate. I don't know how much everything will have cost when it's all over, but I suspect it'll be in the thousands, much of it for treatment and testing. The medications often used for feline ringworm can be hepatotoxic, so periodic assessment of liver function is often recommended. Of course, that will require putting the cat in a carrier and transporting him, with its own risks.

One piece of advice for anyone adopting or otherwise acquiring a cat: have it thoroughly checked for ringworm by a vet before you take it home. We brought our cat to the vet the day after we got him to ask about feeding and a few other things. I can't say for sure if the spot on his ear was there at the time, but I suspect it was. However, the initial exam wasn't specifically tailored to looking for ringworm, which requires a Wood's lamp exam that causes the fungus to fluoresce bright green under UV light.