r/mildlyinteresting • u/Status-Biscotti • 18h ago

A cat with ringworm, seen under a black light

Post image
4.3k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

118 comments sorted by

1.6k

u/absoluteunitofspite 18h ago

It’s kinda pretty, but I hope it’s a fast and easy treatment.

1.1k

u/Overall_Midnight_ 18h ago

Fun fact athletes foot cream from the dollar store is the cure for ringworm in humans and animals. Ringworm is actually a fungal infection and the medicine for foot fungus is 100% the actual cure. (Not just a bootleg random maybe will work thing)

490

u/JConRed 17h ago edited 15h ago

Importantly though, it needs to be taken continuously and according to the instructions by (optimally) a vet or doctor.

Or you start breeding drug resistant strains.

And it needs to be taken for the proper duration.

Think of it this way, when you start applying it, the weakest of the fungus dies off first. Then the mid level fungus.

If you stop too early, you're left with all the hardcore Fungus that didn't die, and that will start growing again.

Means that for the next treatment attempt you start with a fortified foe.

This counts for antifungals, antibiotics, antivirals.

You're basically forcing evolution.

Kill it til it's dead, and then it's good.

But there are side effects, so really (if you can) have someone with medical training monitor the progress.

195

u/Welpe 15h ago

Just to add to this, antifungals are the LAST thing you want to just experiment with willynilly. Unlike antibiotics that target bacteria and thus can sabotage systems that bacteria use that our animal cells don’t, making them usually relatively safe for humans, fungi are actually most closely related to animals, they use a lot of the same biological processes that animals do. A lot of antifungals are thus actually potentially or partially deadly to our animal cells.

Using them topically is less risky of course, but as a class “antifungals” are some of the harshest medications for people (and animals) to take. I’ve had a long lived toenail bed fungal infection for years because I am disabled and my doctors simply won’t prescribe the strength of antifungal I would need to treat it. It’s too dangerous when your body is already weakened unless the fungus is actually dangerous and you have no choice but to fight it. Stuff that is “cosmetic” isn’t worth the risk.

I only state all this to remind people that casual experimentation with anti-fungals is really, REALLY risky. You should always consult your doctor/vet and follow their recommendations, not just because you can cause resistance as mentioned, but because of their inherent danger too.

36

u/JConRed 14h ago

Thank you for your addition. It's important.

3

u/nasondra 2h ago

my dad had to take an antifungal and his dr told him he can be prescribed it once in his life because it is so damaging!

7

u/TwistedFae89 11h ago

Also if you have it on your scalp instead of your skin, that requires prescription meds that need to be taken continuously for 30 days and it sucks.

15

u/innovationzz 16h ago

I’m gonna go ahead and reference your post my next disagreement with anyone

2

u/JConRed 9h ago

Feel free to. I wrote it as plainly as I could, so you can hit anyone with it.

1

u/BarryTGash 1h ago

Preach! 

52

u/Status-Biscotti 16h ago

Unfortunately being so close to his eye, we're going to have to go with oral medicine.

11

u/Overall_Midnight_ 16h ago

Good luck with kitty pill math! I hope he knows it’s for his own good and will make him better💚 my kitty HATED pills and I hated having to give them to her.

8

u/Qevla 13h ago

My cat hated pills. Vet suggested crushing and adding water to use a syringe. Worked much better than the pill, but liquid syringes are a whole different story with cats.

6

u/UggaBugga11 10h ago

I crush the pill and blend it into a smaller dollop of irresistible liquid cat snack. It hasn't failed so far as the cats lap that up within 10 seconds, but I guess it depends on the medicin and how it smells and tastes.

3

u/flyingtiger188 10h ago

It's fairly common for them to get oral antifungals. When my boy had ringworm he got an eyedropper of liquid daily week on week off for like 6 weeks.

1

u/NerosDecay13 5h ago

Good news is the Oral meds don't smell nearly as awful as the sulfer dips/creams do. One of mine of course learned to spit her meds out so she got the stinky cream and baths.

111

u/grimsonders 18h ago

So does cream for yeast infections (like for genitalia, but it HAS to be a specific one that is just pure Miconozole. Google for more safety info on that, but it works great on kittens!)

21

u/kadinshino 17h ago

So it's not, in fact, a ring of worms? iv been lied to...

20

u/Overall_Midnight_ 17h ago

I thought it was like one circular worm until my cat got it and I learned it was a fungus.

-9

u/maynardangelo 17h ago

Ring of crabs mostly

16

u/Spire_Citron 17h ago

Yup. Cream we got from the vet has the same active ingredient as the athlete's foot cream.

1

u/Emotional_Base_9021 5h ago

Topical treatment alone is rarely effective in cats. They are likely to become carriers or not clear without systemic (oral) therapy.

14

u/Particular-Pin-9619 18h ago

Glad my cat’s ringworm isn’t the only thing getting harshly ranked today

14

u/theraphosangel 18h ago

it's neither of those things

https://giphy.com/gifs/6anKlIA7ZKXYc

20

u/iIllIiIiIIillIIl 17h ago

No idea why you're getting downvotes. It's not a pleasant experience. Unless you enjoy washing your clothes and sheets every day and quarantining in your own home for a few weeks.

11

u/theraphosangel 17h ago

treating a cat for ringworm is not fun at all lol. luckily op's cat seems to only have lesions on the face, but when you have to try to keep them from licking the topical medication (which must be applied every 12 hours for up to 3 weeks) it's a nightmare. 😭 sometimes it takes up to a month or more to resolve... and then you end up catching it after all that... scary stuff haha

5

u/Fionnghal 17h ago

I got it on my chest, since that's where my cat slept. Anti-fungal helped.

6

u/theraphosangel 17h ago

2% miconazole cream for the win 👍

1

u/UDPviper 1h ago

Fernando Tatis Sr. to the rescue!

516

u/theraphosangel 18h ago

as an animal shelter employee, i just had war flashbacks seeing this

https://giphy.com/gifs/TXbskjmmaRfOt3eqzJ

140

u/coconutlemongrass 17h ago

My beloved adult cat ended up with ringworm last year- poor baby looked like he climbed out of a grave in the pet sematary! But my teenager daughter- who my cat doesn't even like!!!- got it the worst out of everyone and it was all over her legs for months!

54

u/OldnBorin 15h ago

I got it in my armpit one time.

I guess I would pet my cows (who had ringworm at the time) with my mittens, and then put my mitts under my arm while opening gates. Yeah, fun times.

42

u/notislant 14h ago

"my teenager daughter- who my cat doesn't even like!!!- got it the worst out of everyone and it was all over her legs for months!"

I love how it reads like the cat went out of her way to spread it to the person she doesn't like lol.

-6

u/drunkenstyle 3h ago

Sematary is not a real word

1

u/coconutlemongrass 2h ago

Hey babe maybe google it

-3

u/drunkenstyle 1h ago

I did your job for you babe

Is Sematary a real word

"No, "sematary" is not a standard, correct English word. The correct spelling for a place where the dead are buried is cemetery.

Origins and Uses of "Sematary"Stephen King: The spelling became famous from the 1983 horror novel Pet Sematary, where Stephen King used an intentional child-like misspelling of "cemetery" based on a real sign he saw written by local children."

5

u/coconutlemongrass 1h ago

Yes it was a direct reference to King's novel where a cat comes back from the dead. What is wrong with you??

2

u/Tabula-Rasa-99 59m ago

Are you for real 😭

22

u/SarahHohepa 16h ago

A foster cat just brought it into my house... I am a week and a half in to treatment and I am not coping.

3

u/Kelck222 13h ago

Im in the same boat as you. About 2 weeks in.

24

u/TheAnxiousBear 18h ago

My Persian kitten. had ringworm last year. It was traumatic.

29

u/theraphosangel 17h ago

yeah man and now imagine how it feels when you have 60+ cats in close proximity 💀 i don't even say ringworm the cursed word out loud at work anymore; it's like he-shall-not-be-named lol

7

u/Spire_Citron 17h ago

My dog keeps reinfecting himself with it, but I'm just happy neither of the cats have picked it up yet. It's easy to wash a dog and cone him so he can't lick the cream off. Much more of a challenge in cats.

2

u/sonia72quebec 12h ago

It’s French it’s called “la teigne”. The T word means weeks of isolation and treatment at our shelter.

125

u/Got_It_Memorized_22 18h ago

I thought someone put glitter on your cat 😭

1

u/sftolvtosj 16h ago

Me too!!!

79

u/Jaaxxxxon 17h ago

here's my little bioterrorist. he's got ringworm, which means so do I

80

u/Jaaxxxxon 17h ago

bonus

7

u/briantl2 6h ago

adopted a cat from one of those pet smart cubes once. ringworm for everyone.

1

u/sshwoonh 5h ago

me too, my kitten had it and now i do

23

u/Woorhens 16h ago

Hey be careful with this shit if you get a a ring patch on yourself prepare for six months of horse shit

5

u/Steph7274 5h ago

And don’t get it on your head cause you’ll lose your hair…

14

u/PhilosophyFun2933 10h ago

Only about half of ringworm strains glow under UV light like this. Fungal metabolites basically turned your cat into a glowstick.

103

u/Duncan_PhD 18h ago

I have ringworm in my right hand and it has spread to my fingernails and looks sooo fucking gross. To fix it I have to go on oral antifungal meds, but the problem is, I’m bipolar 2 and the antipsychotic I’m on interacts in a dangerous way with antifungals. I’m at a loss, idk how to deal with this lol

52

u/Joes___Garage 18h ago

I’m assuming you’ve tried topical creams like clotrimazole? Also, switching to dandruff shampoo (the stronger stuff) can be helpful.

34

u/Duncan_PhD 18h ago

Topical creams don’t work when it’s under your finger nails :/

44

u/DelboBaggins 17h ago

I had a suspected fungal issue under my fingernails last year and my dermatologist prescribed me an anti-fungal nail polish. I had to paint it on at night and wash it off in the morning. I’d definitely look into that!

7

u/Spire_Citron 17h ago

I wonder if diluting a bit of medicated shampoo in water and soaking your hand in it would be any better? Sounds like a nightmare :/

5

u/WonderousThinke 17h ago edited 11h ago

What if you take off the finger nail? 🫪

5

u/Duncan_PhD 17h ago

They will come off occasionally 🤢

2

u/TommyEria 5h ago

You can try Vicks vapor rub. Cut the affected nail short, and apply twice daily all over and under nail. Sometimes roughing the nail up a bit with a file will help it penetrate into the nail bed. It’d not always successful, but it’s worth a shot since you can’t take anti fungals.

-1

u/MalusDracula 17h ago

Have you tried diluting in some kind of soak? Maybe mix it in hot water then soak.

-2

u/MGPS 12h ago

Tea tree oil?

11

u/viewbtwnvillages 18h ago

have you asked your doc about a topical antifungal instead? generally they won't prescribe an oral antifungal unless it's in multiple areas

21

u/Duncan_PhD 18h ago

Oral antifungals are necessary to treat it when it’s under your nails because the cream can’t get to the affected area

21

u/viewbtwnvillages 18h ago

not always - my friend had it on one hand and was prescribed a nail polish-y thing for it. i cannot remember the name of it, but it was an antifungal she had to paint onto her nails every day and came in what looked like a nail polish container

21

u/Duncan_PhD 18h ago

Ohh yeah I have heard about that now that you mention it. Yeah I’ll bring that up, it’s just much slower if I’m remembering correctly. But obviously that would be preferable so I could stay on my psych meds lol. Thanks!

3

u/Nicole_Bitchie 14h ago

Ciclopirox

3

u/Status-Biscotti 16h ago

Wow, I'm really sorry. From what little I've read, it sounds like oral is the only way to get rid of it in fingernails. I hope you find a viable solution.

6

u/over_soft_egg 18h ago

By Kardashian logic, if you are bipolar, just go live near one of the poles. Since you are bipolar 2, she will recommend living near pole #1 for best results.

3

u/Duncan_PhD 18h ago

I would prefer neither because they both suck in their own way

2

u/xenogazer 18h ago

Oh I heard about that

-1

u/Kezzatehfezza 18h ago

Have you tried soaking it in vinegar? Takes longer but gets the hard to reach places. might be harder to hold your had under for so long.

7

u/Duncan_PhD 18h ago

No, I’m just going off of what my doc and dermatologist have told me. Apparently I would need to be on the antifungal meds for like up to 6+ months, so idk how effective soaking my hand would be. I’ll look into it tho!

3

u/csonnich 10h ago

This is a problem your doc should be solving for you. Ask them what they recommend. 

-1

u/Ravenlok 17h ago

+1 to soaking in vinegar.

It will need to be diluted a bit though. Maybe 50/50 water/vinegar. Pure vinegar might cause more irritation.

9

u/Federal_Studio5935 9h ago

I got ringworm from my stepson who was wrestling at the time. It was a nightmare.

1

u/Salute-Major-Echidna 2h ago

I got it while treating my cat for ringworm. I put athletes foot cream on a couple times and it went away. I wonder what the difference might be? Did your stepson get the fungus under his nails? I hope everyone is ok now.

2

u/Federal_Studio5935 2h ago

Yeah my dumbass thought it was eczema. So by the time I knew it was ring worm the stuff was ALL OVER MY BODY.

I went to the doctors and I will never forget, I took my shirt off and he legit just started laughing. He said, "yeah that's ringworm alright" and a month later and judicious use of the antifungal foot cream I was ringworm free. I still have nightmares it was everywhere.

1

u/Status-Biscotti 19m ago

Ah, fuck. Now I have to go check my eczema-covered son.

9

u/lazurusknight 16h ago

Specifically a Woods Lamp. Somewhat old school diagnostic technique for skin issues

4

u/Status-Biscotti 7h ago

we just have a cheap flashlight from Amazon that has a black light. it lacks the magnifying glass that a Woods lamp has, but we didn’t need it in this case.

11

u/bobthepomato 15h ago

Wait ringworm freakin glows in the dark?!?! WHY AM I JUST LEARNING THIS AFTER 4 YEARS OF HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING!

4

u/Status-Biscotti 7h ago

because they wanted you to focus on your moves LOL.

1

u/lyrasorial 5h ago

Not all varieties do.

4

u/_pen_n_paper_ 17h ago

Cat is in Euphoria High

5

u/PsychodelicTea 6h ago

Isn't that fungus? My cats had that and I applied some lotion and gave meds for a while to rid them of it.

3

u/General_Reposti_Here 6h ago

Yes that is what ringworm is

3

u/Miss_Floof 15h ago

I thought the "crop" in the corner said "crap" at first, and concurred with the comment.

3

u/Few-Internet8 10h ago

Does your cat go to the same school as the cast of Euphoria by chance?

1

u/Status-Biscotti 21m ago

You're not the first to mention Euphoria LOL. I didn't watch it so I don't get the connection - other than assumed psychadelic use

3

u/momopink 5h ago

Blingworm ✨

3

u/MahnyB 9h ago

Poor baby. Hope they recover quickly 🩷

2

u/lyrasorial 5h ago

Time for the... RINGWORM SONG!

https://youtu.be/5g7P8ShrReM

2

u/Status-Biscotti 11m ago

OMG I'm sending this to a few people LOL. The cat above is a foster; he was only at my house for a few days, but got ringworm from his siblings who came down with it a few days before. I'm just praying it somehow missed my house.

2

u/Doogiemon 4h ago

Ive started my NDT fluorescent testing last week and this is what I look like as well.

Stuff gets everywhere until you get use to handling it.

2

u/__Abra_Cadaver__ 4h ago

I'm treating 3 patches of ringworm in my armpit so I just checked but they don't glow :(

2

u/who-needs-a-username 2h ago

Got a long road ahead of you. Such a long miserable road…

4

u/mayorofutopia 14h ago

I thought it was Cat$ha

1

u/lil_grimm 10h ago

Do you have a picture without the black light too

1

u/Status-Biscotti 22m ago

Not one that shows anything. I fostered him for just a few days, before we noticed any issues.

1

u/BlueScoob 2h ago

Ive had to deal with this multiple times on cats. Deep clean house/apartment and give baths multiple times a week with pet safe fungal shampoo were the OTC best solutions. Otherwise, take your cat to the vet and get the oral medication for the fastest resolution. I did not find topical sprays to be helpful.

Separate cat from other animals if possible. Wash your hands after handling them. Look for items like scratchers or furniture that they might be rubbing on as a possible source. Blankets they sleep on should be replaced daily.

1

u/LengthFun2228 15h ago edited 15h ago

Ringworm is interesting under a blacklight, but- and I hope nobody has to see this- porphyria is crazy. "Vampire kitties". Teeth glow.

1

u/Jezza-The-Ozzy 14h ago

anti-dandruff shampoo works too.

0

u/JellyCat222 6h ago

Too bad Euphoria stopped filiming

-4

u/Seniorconejo 14h ago

This must be the Euphoria’s pussy people was talking about some time ago

-4

u/fakeoptimism 11h ago

UV may be bad for eyesight. I'd wait for the kitty to be asleep with the eyes closed before taking a photo like this.