Ringworm in a cat is an unpleasant, highly contagious disease that threatens the loss of a magnificent fluffy fur coat of tailed pets. Dermatomycosis manifests itself in the defeat of the cutaneous and hairline pathogenic fungus.
Ringworm in a cat occurs in connection with the ingress of fungi on the fur. At the same time, dermatomycetes develop on the skin. These are fungal bacteria that are visible only when magnified under a microscope. They are like thin threads. But, unlike other fungi, this species does not branch out at the ends. It spreads from animal to animal through spores, so infection is possible, even if there was no direct contact with the infected animal. There are two types of dermatomycetes: trichophytons and microsporons. As a rule, the second cat is distributed among felines.
So, ringworm in a cat causes fungal microorganisms. They are very resistant to heat treatment and survive even after a temperature of 100 degrees. Most often the animal becomes infected after contact with the infected surface. It can even be the owner's shoes. The greatest accumulation of microbes is noted on the rims of dishes for food and furniture made of plastic and wood. Also dangerous are the stools of the animal. There are also intermediate carriers. Of course, we are talking about rodents.
It is undeniable that it is much more common to notice ringworm in a homeless cat, but this does not mean that the home cat is completely shielded from this disease. First of all, the animal undergoes a risk, over which sanitary-hygienic control is not conducted. He usually has a lot of injuries and damage to the skin, resulting in reduced immunological protection of the body. The pets can get sick too, which are often left to themselves and have unhindered access to the street. Risky and thoroughbred cats who attend exhibitions.
Ringworm from a cat is dangerous for a person. When in contact with a sick pet, the risk of infection is unusually high. It is best to carry out the isolation of the animal as soon as possible and immediately begin its treatment. Time in the development of infection plays a very important role. Dermatomycosis has a fairly long latent incubation period. It can last up to 30 days. All this time the animal will be potentially dangerous. Then there is a heavy period of the height of the illness. In this case, the suffering cat has a partial loss of hair. Actually, the first alarm signal can be considered the appearance of these foci on a fluffy cat's fur coat. It seems that the fur is completely shaved or touched by a moth. Later, the sore spots will be covered with a gray coating, which will consist of very small scales. The longer the pet is left without treatment, the more lesions will become. The most vulnerable places on the animal's body are the head, paws and tail. The affected areas are scarred slightly. If you do not know what the ringworm looks like in cats, the photos presented in this article will clearly demonstrate this.