Hi & welcome to the PF

Sorry to hear about your little rescue but well done for helping her, Im sure there is treatment for ringworm

 

Hi & welcome to the PF

Sorry to hear about your little rescue but well done for helping her, Im sure there is treatment for ringworm

there IS a treatment for ringworm but its expensive and treating it within a shelter environment or any other multi cat environment like a breeders house, would mean risking ALL the cats in there getting it. and the treatment involves bathing the cats 3 ot 4 times each week, which is very time consuming and a lot of hard work, as well as being risky and stressful to the cats. so personally in this instance I do kind of understand why they would opt to put to sleep, the chance of it spreading to all the cats is just too high, and volunteers for bathing ringworm infested cats are thin on the ground, and the oral medication is expensive. rspca have to make some very tough choices. i for one wouldnt knock them for this one.

 

I understand the costs that Catsmum raises.. But that to me sounds ridiculous to put the kitty down when you have said you will take her on... .. We dont put horses down because they get ring worm.. Blimey I have got it off a horse myself and they didn't mention putting me down..

If you dont have cats yourself could you not take over the treatment..

And may I add.. I have heard of quite a few ringworm cases in people recently and saw one myself at the doctors yesterday..

 

Are they having a laugh? Although it is no joking matter!

Ringworm is most certainly treatable in cats. In shorthairs it may even resolve on its on in about 3 months but a topical anti-fungal treatment is usually prescribed. If there are widespread lesions, or topical treatment is ineffective, there are also oral or injection treatments available.

Treatment may be expensive but the RSPCA are hardly short of money, they are one of the most wealthy charities in the country.

I am assuming there are no other health issues with this poor wee cat?

 

And may I add.. I have heard of quite a few ringworm cases in people recently and saw one myself at the doctors yesterday..

Yes, we see plenty and fortunately don't put them down!

 

Yes, we see plenty and fortunately don't put them down!

I was in the docs yesterday and a little girl had it on her arm.. I recognised it straight away.. Poor mite was itching and her mum said cover it up quick.. The little girl said what is it why is it itchy.. Poor mum said she didn't know and thats why we are here..
Poor mite...

They had it on my sisters yard recently all 12 horses.. They all had to be treated then their bedding all burned and then they had to hibi scrub everything and disinfect everything that was left.. No biggy when its for something or someone you love..

 

I know it seems harsh, but all the shelter animals would be put at risk by this one cat, meaning no others would be adoptable, meaning other strays will not be able to be accommodated.
This, if anything, is illustrative of the harsh reality of rescue and which is daily being exacerbated by "oops litters", irresponsible matings, "just one" litters and by not neutering/spaying.:glare:
I am sorry this happened to you and that you have had to endure this awful experience. Why don't you volunteer in cat rescue? It can be heartbreaking but also very rewarding, especially when a few of the tragic stories have a happy ending.

 

I know it seems harsh, but all the shelter animals would be put at risk by this one cat, meaning no others would be adoptable, meaning other strays will not be able to be accommodated.
This, if anything, is illustrative of the harsh reality of rescue and which is daily being exacerbated by "oops litters", irresponsible matings, "just one" litters and by not neutering/spaying.:glare:
I am sorry this happened to you and that you have had to endure this awful experience. Why don't you volunteer in cat rescue? It can be heartbreaking but also very rewarding, especially when a few of the tragic stories have a happy ending.

Well Im afraid before they could see it has Ringworm it would be spread.. Its there before the hair falls out..
I had it before we found it on livestock.. A week later we found it on a horse..

This is if it does actually have it..

 

But as I started telling people I was taken aback by the horrified reactions I got...

Don't worry, people who do the least generally have the most to say about the awful choices rescue charities have to make.

 

Well Im afraid before they could see it has Ringworm it would be spread.. Its there before the hair falls out..

This is if it does actually have it..

If it is ringworm, and has already spread, there is no need to euthanase her surely?

If they are waiting 2 weeks for a result, it will have had time to spread already if it is going to spread, so there is no need to have her put down is there?

And are they not already treating her just in case in is ringworm, that being their provisional diagnosis?

 

If it is ringworm, and has already spread, there is no need to euthanase her surely?

If they are waiting 2 weeks for a result, it will have had time to spread already if it is going to spread, so there is no need to have her put down is there?

And are they not already treating her just in case in is ringworm, that being their provisional diagnosis?

All seems a bit strange dont you think.. I mean I know they have disinfectant gel outside each pen at our CPL.. But I was there last week and they got us several cats out only using the gel on hands.. she was holding each cat against her body..

My first experience of Ringworm.. Not cat based.. But its no different..

I was grooming a horse at work.. And clumps/scabs were coming off.. I got the yard owner.. the horse was isolated in its stable with top door shut.. A disinfectant dip was left outside.
1 person only to look after horse.. I was sent home to get cleaned and put fresh clothes on.. Over alls were left in a big bin things for the person dealing with the horse.. It was treated.. took several weeks.. He didn't leave his stable.. had his own mucking out tools etc feed buckets the lot never left that stable..
At the end of it.. everything that had come into contact with that horse that couldn't be cleaned efficiently was burned.. This included bedding headcollars lead ropes brushes and the overalls..

My sisters yard.. someone didn't realise and never piped up.. and over a couple of weeks the whole yard was infected and condemned.. No one who didn't have to be there to enter and you were not allowed on other yards..

Its about management as soon as you first realise.. and not panic..

 

Poor wee lady, What a start to her short life. she must be traumatised being lost then loosing her babies. I hope she gets the treatment needed and makes a full recovery. Well done yazoo taking care of her, And I hope you get to keep her.

 

Thank you very much for all of your responses.

It has been great to hear a variety of opinions, I can kind of see both sides but just wanted to check what people would have considered to be a 'normal' and acceptable reaction for the RSPCA in this situation.

I should hear from them earliest this Friday, latest next wednesday. I will just have to hope that it isn't ringworm, in which case there is no debate over what should or shouldn't be done.

Other than this possible diagnosis she is in good health. Before they found the bald patch they reported to me that she was doing very well and had started to put on weight.

I would like to volunteer to treat her myself in the event that she is found positive for ringworm, however we do have other pets including my Mum's 2 dogs who live next door...and I don't think I could forgive myself if anything happened to our existing pets particularly those that aren't my own : (

So its fingers crossed for now that I can give her the life she deserves!

 

Thank you very much for all of your responses.

It has been great to hear a variety of opinions, I can kind of see both sides but just wanted to check what people would have considered to be a 'normal' and acceptable reaction for the RSPCA in this situation.

I should hear from them earliest this Friday, latest next wednesday. I will just have to hope that it isn't ringworm, in which case there is no debate over what should or shouldn't be done.

Other than this possible diagnosis she is in good health. Before they found the bald patch they reported to me that she was doing very well and had started to put on weight.

I would like to volunteer to treat her myself in the event that she is found positive for ringworm, however we do have other pets including my Mum's 2 dogs who live next door...and I don't think I could forgive myself if anything happened to our existing pets particularly those that aren't my own : (

So its fingers crossed for now that I can give her the life she deserves!

If you did take her with ringworm as long as you isolate her.. You shold be fine.. And make sure everything is disinfected that comes into contact with her..

Im pretty sure that if she does have it.. the shelter will have to close its doors to the public.. And not let any cats leave or in until the ringworm has gone. then you would need a period of which to make sure no others cats had it.. as i said it is there before you notice.. and it is very itchy..
But with them thinking she has it.. thye should be actually taking all of the above action now..

I really hope all is fine with Kitty and you manage to bring her home..

 

We dont put horses down because they get ring worm.. Blimey I have got it off a horse myself and they didn't mention putting me down..

My first experience of Ringworm.. Not cat based.. But its no different..

I was grooming a horse at work..

If you dont have cats yourself could you not take over the treatment..

And may I add.. I have heard of quite a few ringworm cases in people recently and saw one myself at the doctors yesterday..

having had it myself, and my horse has had it and I have had cats with it i can say they are totally different. ring worm in humans is a doddle to treat, and in horses far easier to treat than in cats. i think if the OP was willing to treat the cat at home then the RSPCA would be willing to rehome her with the OP, but as the OP has other pets she would be a taking a very big risk of the other pets getting it.

 

My experience of ringworm was about twenty five years ago when I took in a starving stray cat. The vet gave me some treatment for her, she recovered quickly and none of my other cats caught it from her. The vet told me that they were unlikely to catch it as they were in good condition and therefore resistant to ringworm. I have no idea whether this is the current thinking or not, but it proved to be so in this case and she never had ringworm again in her long life after being treated.

 

Never heard anything quite so ridiculous, not to mention sad. Lots of cats that have ringworm are completely asymtomatic and I know damn well that the RSPCA don't take skin scrapings to test every cat coming into their care.. and what's the bloody point of putting the cat to sleep when it's already been there for several weeks, possibly infected with RW since it arrived?

If a new owner is prepared to take on the cost and commitment of clearing up ringworm, why can't it be rehomed accordingly?

If this is the RSPCA's routine way of dealing with ringworm, then I'm utterly appalled and, as a welfare organisation, they've gone down hugely in my estimation.

 

If you did take her with ringworm as long as you isolate her.. You shold be fine..

this is just not true

my mother took in a stray with ringworm, and did everything humanly possible to stop it spreading to her own cats, kept the stray isolated, changed shoes when entering the room the stray was kept in, wore an overal in that room, used disinfecting hand gel, boilwashed cat bedding daily, cleaned the strays room thoroughly every single day with disinfectant, she even bought a new hoover so she didnt spread it via the hoover, and her own cats still got it.

it is very wrong to say that just keeping a cat isolated is enough, it really isn't

in catteries and cat shelters, even the best of them, ring worm goes through multi cat environments like a dose of salts

 

this is just not true

my mother took in a stray with ringworm, and did everything humanly possible to stop it spreading to her own cats, kept the stray isolated, changed shoes when entering the room the stray was kept in, wore an overal in that room, used disinfecting hand gel, boilwashed cat bedding daily, cleaned the strays room thoroughly every single day with disinfectant, she even bought a new hoover so she didnt spread it via the hoover, and her own cats still got it.

it is very wrong to say that just keeping a cat isolated is enough, it really isn't

in catteries and cat shelters, even the best of them, ring worm goes through multi cat environments like a dose of salts

OP said her mum has dogs next door.. I can't recall her mentioning cats.. I could be wrong and mis read.. But If her other pets are caged as in maybe a rodent or bunnies.. then personally I think it can be possible.. as long as OP were to manage correctly..
Cat would have to be isolated and the environment a place easy to keep clean.. Also one person only would have to look after the cat making sure that they personally are very careful and remember to not enter isolation or leave without taking the necessary steps to prevent it spreading..

 

I know it seems harsh, but all the shelter animals would be put at risk by this one cat, meaning no others would be adoptable, meaning other strays will not be able to be accommodated.
This, if anything, is illustrative of the harsh reality of rescue and which is daily being exacerbated by "oops litters", irresponsible matings, "just one" litters and by not neutering/spaying.:glare:
I am sorry this happened to you and that you have had to endure this awful experience. Why don't you volunteer in cat rescue? It can be heartbreaking but also very rewarding, especially when a few of the tragic stories have a happy ending.

youve hit the nail on the head, this is the harsh reality that rescues face every day, euthanise one cat in the hope of sparing the rest

it would be disaster for a rescue if a high percentage of the cats and kittens came down with ringworm

its so easy to condemn the rspca for this, but i dont think the people doing the condemning will be chomping at the bit to go daily to their local rescue centre and spend 30 minutes per cat shampooing them

 

having had it myself, and my horse has had it and I have had cats with it i can say they are totally different. ring worm in humans is a doddle to treat, and in horses far easier to treat than in cats. i think if the OP was willing to treat the cat at home then the RSPCA would be willing to rehome her with the OP, but as the OP has other pets she would be a taking a very big risk of the other pets getting it.

I think it would all depend on the nature of the animal.. 17 hands worth of new skittish horse is not a doddle to treat..
But you can do it.. As I would expect for a cat.. And yes.. it is a doddle to treat humans.. we can speak we know what to look for we understand how we have to keep it isolated..

 

personally I think it can be possible.. as long as OP were to manage correctly.. one person only would have to look after the cat making sure that they personally are very careful and remember to not enter isolation or leave without taking the necessary steps to prevent it spreading..

you make it sound so easy, having dealt with it, i can assure you it isnt. no one could possibly have taken more precautions than my mother, didnt stop it spreading for her

 

oh the wonderful RSPCA
before anyone wants tro say that I'm moaning about a rescue and do nothing to help please reconsider as have rescued cats -know a lot of recues and have a knowledge of vet treatments.
Firstly the RSPCA must have an isolation unit which is where this cat should be now not after test results -if she has ringworm and is treated in the correct way regarding health and safety then there should be no problems -ringworm is not a death sentence and all big rescues will have seen and dealt with many cases .
The problem with the richest rescue in the UK is that the treatment is expensive and time consuming and they don't lie spending money except on new headquarters for themselves and don't want to spend time actually doing the job they are supposed to.
The only suggestion i have is to offer to pay for her treatment -if that fails then tell the local paper her story -bad publicity works wonders

 

one other point you say you gave her shelter for the night so if she had ringworm then you already have it in your home
if not then she caught it frojm the RSPCA !!

 

you make it sound so easy, having dealt with it, i can assure you it isnt. no one could possibly have taken more precautions than my mother, didnt stop it spreading for her

Nope I don't think Im making it sound easy.. But I am always open to trying..
I would not give up so easy..
Its a cats life that is possibly being condemned here..