What to expect with Ring Worms?

Question

I just got home from work and was greeted with what I at first assumed was a regular good old every day fur ball, with just a hint of vomit to make it special... When I went to clean it up though weird thoughts occurred to me. Did one of my cats eat rubber bands?

When did I purchase rubber bands?

Then...

Why are the rubber bands moving?

So, I have figured out that at least one of my three cats has worms and I don't know which cat. I am guessing ring worms. I am going to make a journey to the vet Saturday and want to mentally prepare myself. None of my other cats have ever had worms, so I do not know what to expect.

I am guessing that I have to throw out all their litter and bleach the litter boxes. Also, I should bleach the area around their boxes. Right?

Bowls and eating area should be thoroughly bleached too, I am guessing.

But I feel like there is more that I should do. Do I have to steam clean the couch or bed or anything that drastic? Fear of all fears, do I have to give them a bath? Only one out of three would let me get away with that and the other two would be out for blood.

I'd appreciate any advice. My three cats are barely a year old and were rescued. They are siblings.

Oh and I saved a sample of the vomit and two worms in an empty baby food jar. Is it ok to freeze it? I hate the thought of them escaping....

Answer 1

Firstly "ringworm" is a fungal infection on the skin. It is a spore and not a worm at all. I believe you mean roundworms. In which case none of this bleaching nonsense is necessary. The veterinarian will give your oral medication for all your cats since you dont know who it is.  But using all this bleach could make you and them sick. There is also not need to freeze your worm sample as they will die when removed from the host anyway. My advice to you is to sit yourself down and take a deep breath.                          

Okay, now you can go wash your bedding and theirs you may add a tad of bleach to the wash if it makes you feel better. Yes throw away all the litter and replace with new.  I assume since you have a baby food jar you must have kids so you will need to give all the flooring in the house a real good vacuuming as i know kids are on the floor all the time .Go to the vet Saturday with worms in tow & have an idea of how much each cat weighs(if their not all going with you) so that the vet can dose them properly.  Also no cat bathing is required (unless you just have a death wish! :) It really is that simple.

Whew!            Catastrophe adverted!     Good Luck to you.

Answer 2

Ringworm is a contagious fungus that causes ring-shaped red marks or hair loss. It's not actually a worm. It is good that you saved a specimin. It is ok to freeze it if you want. The vet will need a fecal sample from all 3 cats to make sure there aren't any other parasites present. They will probably treat all of the cats, depending on what they have. Yes, you should clean out their litter boxes, but you don't really need to clean the whole house. The worm eggs live in the cat's f***s only, they shouldn't be spread around the house. If you see the worm, it is almost definitely a roundworm. They look like spaghetti and are relatively easy to treat. Whipworms in cats are rare and microscopic. Hookworms are only a couple millimeters long. Tapeworms are visible as small segments of the worm that look like pieces of rice. Definitely take a fecal sample to the vet to get the right medication, don't just buy the over the counter stuff because it's not as effective and can be dangerous. Even though it freaks people out to see worms coming out of their pet, they really are pretty easy to treat and are almost always killed with one treatment. Make sure that you avoid touching their f***s and use rubber gloves when you clean the litter box. You would have to get p**p on your hand and then put it in your mouth but humans can be infected by them.

Here is a link with a picture of a roundworm. The tapeworm picture in this link looks kind of similar but in reality you rarely see a whole tapeworm and just the segments.

http://www.fabcats.org/owners/worming/in...

Answer 3

First of all, ringworm is a fungus not an actual worm. There are several types of worms your cats might have which include hooks, rounds, whips and tapeworms. The vet will need a fresh fecal sample so he can do a float and tell you what type of worms your cats have. The treatment is usually a liquid that you squirt in their mouth. Hope this helped.

Answer 4

It's likely round worms. But could be hook worms--save the sample from the vomit. Also do one from the litter box.

Usually all that's needed is to take a p**p sample with the worms in it in a zip lock baggie (do a separate baggie with the vomit ones, there may be more than one type of worm in the cats) to the vets (keep it in the refrigerator NOT the freezer, the techs can't work with it frozen).  The vet will give you the appropriate medicine for the type of worms your cats have.

ALL cats in the household need to be treated for the parasite, as they'd all be exposed to it when using the same litter box. It's an easy parasite to get rid of.  

Answer 5

there is too much advise to list,but i have enclosed a site to check over,also you will need to take the cat to the vets for worming tablets,the vet will weigh each cat so they know what dosage they can be given.

http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/ringwo...

Answer 6

Ringworm is a fungus of the skin.  If it looked like a spaghetti noodle it is probably a round worm.  These are the most common worms and usually are the ones you will find in vomit or stool.  If one has it they probably all will so call your vet and bring in a stool sample to have it tested.  I would recommend to have them all wormed because if you don't it will keep passing back and forth through eggs in the litter box.  It is very common and not life threatening.  You do not have to throw away anything, just get them some meds.

Answer 7

The "rubber bands" sound like roundworms. Ringworm isn't actually a worm, it's a fungal infection on the skin.

Animals can get roundworms from their mother, from soil with roundworm eggs in it, and from f***s w/ eggs in it.

Humans can get them too. Wash your hands if you come in contact with their f***s.

EDIT: Heavy infestations are life threatening, you should worry.

Answer 8

The vet will treat all of your cats at the same time, and explain how this particular parasite got to your cats - some are transmitted by fleas, and heartworms are transmitted by mosquito bites (!)  - and how to prevent it in the future (Revolution once a month to prevent heartworms and roundworm)

No bathing is necessary- have no fear!  For most parasites, you don't even have to resort to bleach - if the worms are not passed through f***s or saliva, you will be over doing it - plus, cats really dislike the smell of bleach.

You can freeze the worms, then take to vet.  Vomit you can toss.

Don't worry - getting worms is a natural part of being a cat - fortunately there are very safe medicines now.

Good luck!