Ringworm

[Daisys and Diamonds]

dear Missy
i just went outside and gave our two big cuddles after reading your latest
if i lived in America and i had no cats i would take Fred and love him for you
if things continue to be hard for Fred could you perhaps temporarily or permanently rehome him
that has to be better than a worse case sinareo (excusee spelling)

 

[missy]

dear Missy
i just went outside and gave our two big cuddles after reading your latest
if i lived in America and i had no cats i would take Fred and love him for you
if things continue to be hard for Fred could you perhaps temporarily or permanently rehome him
that has to be better than a worse case sinareo (excusee spelling)

Dear Daisy, you are so sweet, thank you. No we are going to hang onto Fred as long as we can. We love him so much and cannot bear to think about losing him just yet. We are going to fight for him I promise you. Yesterday was their lime sulfur dip. They are all (with the exception of Patient Zero) shaken up but not as bad as last week. Fred's asthma is exacerbated but praying his URI doesn't flare again. He did eat last night when we picked them up and a little bit this AM so that is a victory in itself. Thank you so much for all your kindness and support and love. And please hug your precious furbabies from me and my furry crew. XOXO.

 

[missy]

Oh, that is a dreary update @missy.
I was hoping Fred would continue eating... And I'm SO sorry to read that Bobby is getting worse

We discovered yesterday that of our cats has a tumour on his leg. It's probably been there for a while, getting worse - he started limping day before yesteerday. He's terrified of the carrier - he's 17lbs of muscle and fights like his life depends on getting away, and we're so scared of hurting him! The only way we can ever catch him is by cornering him in a bedroom, rigging the door to drape a fitted bedsheet over him when he bolts past, and scaring him into bolting past (which doesn't take much - walking toward him with said carrier is enough!)

I've been wondering if there's a sedative spray we could use first. I've asked at our vet... I'll update here if I hear anything promising. We use Feliway by the gallon - diffusers, sprays, you name it. Stuff is crazy pricey. I don't know if it's all hype or actually useful.

::HUGS::

Oh @yssie I am so sorry and hope your cat's leg tumor turns out to be benign and very treatable. Keeping your sweet kitty in my prayers. I hear you re him being terrified of the carrier. We had quite the time yesterday morning gathering all of the adult cats up and putting them in their carriers. The other day I ordered a different type of carrier and it might just be hype or might actually be easier for the cats to deal with and I will keep you posted. Not coming for a few weeks. It's sort of a soft pouch that binds them and keeps their head free.

I hope you do find a good sedative spray. Please keep me posted. Feliway doesn't do anything for our cats.

And please hug your kitty from me and my furry babies and hoping he is A OK.

 

[missy]

Cat update:
The vet's office said that there is only liquid Itrafungol for oral cat ringworm. I think they are wrong but at this point I am able to get most of it into Bobby and I give him a little more so hopefully he is getting a sufficient amount. It is torture for all of us. Greg and I hate doing this to the cats and now they all run when they see us coming. This sucks on many levels but we are doing what we have to do in order to get them better. Praying it works and praying they all come through this. My sister said ringworm never kills anyone but the treatment on an elderly cat sure can.

Fred came through the lime sulfur dip OK with just an exacerbation of his asthma which is a bit worse this morning than last night but he ate on his own a little bit so that's something. Though now he is upstairs at the top step in front of the attic door where it is over 100 degrees F but we are leaving him there for now.

So far this AM we gave Bobby the Itrafugnol and he kept most of it down though yes he hyper salivated a lot I compensated by giving him a bit more. Thanks @PintoBean because we now do the "Blow Job" method and Greg thinks it is helping. Really appreciate that tip/

Oliver takes his meds like a champ thank goodness.

Haven't yet given Tommy or Fred their Itrafungol because not sure what to do about Fred. My sister says do not give it to Fred but I know the lime dip won't be sufficient as his fungus is spreading and spreading fast. I read aggressive approaches are necessary when the cat's immune system isn't fighting the fungus on their own. So what to do?

That's the kitty update. Thanks for letting me share and get it out and thank you for any and all advice.

Fred last night:



and a painting at the vet's office. One of the veterinarians painted this. Isn't she talented? It's beautiful.
Looks like Bobby when he was a baby.





Bobby as a baby

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

when we moved i sprayed the entire new house, the car and the carrier in Feliway
she had been at the cattery for over a week while we packed, moved and unpacked im our new town
i would have been better to have spent the money on nice smellies for myself
just glad i didn't buy the plug in one
i always think when Borris watches us go out in the car she must think we are off to the vet or maybe she hopes we will come back with rotisserie chicken

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

missy yesterday sounds like a move in a positive direction
if Fred is eating thats half the battle won poor old falla

ive never had a kitten, only very suspicious weary adult cats

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Cat update:
The vet's office said that there is only liquid Itrafungol for oral cat ringworm. I think they are wrong but at this point I am able to get most of it into Bobby and I give him a little more so hopefully he is getting a sufficient amount. It is torture for all of us. Greg and I hate doing this to the cats and now they all run when they see us coming. This sucks on many levels but we are doing what we have to do in order to get them better. Praying it works and praying they all come through this. My sister said ringworm never kills anyone but the treatment on an elderly cat sure can.

Fred came through the lime sulfur dip OK with just an exacerbation of his asthma which is a bit worse this morning than last night but he ate on his own a little bit so that's something. Though now he is upstairs at the top step in front of the attic door where it is over 100 degrees F but we are leaving him there for now.

So far this AM we gave Bobby the Itrafugnol and he kept most of it down though yes he hyper salivated a lot I compensated by giving him a bit more. Thanks @PintoBean because we now do the "Blow Job" method and Greg thinks it is helping. Really appreciate that tip/

Oliver takes his meds like a champ thank goodness.

Haven't yet given Tommy or Fred their Itrafungol because not sure what to do about Fred. My sister says do not give it to Fred but I know the lime dip won't be sufficient as his fungus is spreading and spreading fast. I read aggressive approaches are necessary when the cat's immune system isn't fighting the fungus on their own. So what to do?

That's the kitty update. Thanks for letting me share and get it out and thank you for any and all advice.

Fred last night:



and a painting at the vet's office. One of the veterinarians painted this. Isn't she talented? It's beautiful.
Looks like Bobby when he was a baby.





Bobby as a baby

oh poor Fred
is there water for him to drink not far too away ?
they do enjoy the heat
its heartbreaking that they are so weary of their human mum and dad
it must be terrible being a doctor or nurse and treating small children when its going to hurt

 

[mtsapphirelovingannie]

Missy,

Thank you for the update. I hope Fred does okay today.

When I was a girl I had rabbits; in extreme heat we put frozen 2 liter soda bottles in the hutch with them. I'm wondering if Fred would find heat relief from something like that?

Sending you hugs and positive energy.

 

[distracts]

The other day I ordered a different type of carrier and it might just be hype or might actually be easier for the cats to deal with and I will keep you posted. Not coming for a few weeks. It's sort of a soft pouch that binds them and keeps their head free.

The cat bag! I have one. I have to put one of my cats in it when trimming his claws because he fights a lot and the bag keeps him contained and I can pull out just one paw at a time.

I didn't think the Feliway did anything but when my two cats were first being introduced one day they were fighting a lot more and I didn't know why since they'd been getting along well for weeks beforehand - turns out the feliway diffusers had all gotten unplugged. Plugged them back in and both cats came and laid down in front of one lol.

Cats can tolerate higher levels of heat - mine loooove the area of the house where we leave the a/c off. Right outside the door to that area is their preferred spot to lounge in the summer, and their least favorite in winter because then it's the coldest. So I wouldn't worry that Fred is seeking out a warm spot as long as it's not much over 100.

 

[missy]

Thanks @Daisys and Diamonds yes it is awful for everyone right now. The furbabies are running from us and hiding and generally suspicious of us. Bobby who was always the first one to run for food in the AM when I got up and fed them now is no where to be found when I feed them in the morning. So I have to call and call and call him and finally coax him to the food. For Bobby that is a dramatic change and not one for the positive. Though he is holding on to all his weight which makes the med application difficult as he has to get the largest amount of liquid meds due to his weight. We have to give him 2 syringes.

ive never had a kitten, only very suspicious weary adult cats

That is who our cats are now. Suspicious and weary. They were not that way before. Before this ordeal they were just skittish but loving on their terms. Now they are battle weary (as are we) and super suspicious. But I cannot blame them.


Thanks @mtsapphirelovingannie for your positive energy and good wishes. Fred did OK yesterday but today he was not complying with the taking of his meds. We will attempt again later. He almost got us with his teeth today. He is a biter and with the syringe his teeth are very close to my hand and he almost got me. Not on purpose but the whole situation is stressful. Our sweet Fred. I hate that we are torturing him and then not even successfully getting all the med into him. We must get the full amount into him or this is all for naught.

Thanks @distracts I don't think it is much over 100 degrees F where Fred is hanging out so that is good. Yeah they are little heat seekers. I remember Francesca would love to curl up on us all the time and it was for our body heat. I loved it though even in the middle of summer. I was sweating but it was such a treat having her lay on me. I miss her so much.

Today's meds were a bust so we are going to attempt again later. Bobby spit half of it out and we even had trouble with Fred too with spitting it out today. Ugh and after we did topicals so we have to redo that too as the meds and saliva got all over the topical application as Bobby has the fungus on his neck.

Tommy is on top of the Grandfather Clock at the moment (hiding from us) so we let him be and will do his oral meds later when we repeat the oral meds with Bobby and Fred. Only Oliver got his full med dose. Oliver's fungus is spreading all over the side of his face but we are continuing to do the meds and hoping they work against the fungus to slow it down and kill it off soon. I have to order more bottles of Itrafungol because we are wasting so much of it. I already bought $300 worth of it and now I have to get some more. I still have 2 bottles left but can't risk running out the way we are wasting it.

This morning at least everyone ate but after the med fiasco not sure everyone is still going to have their appetite. I thought with time it would get (a little bit) easier to do this every day but in truth it is getting more challenging as the cats are doing their darnedest to avoid the meds. Greg tasted it (ewww I know lol) and said it tastes like bad cough medicine without anything to mask the flavor. Poor kitties.

And while I am a klutz this week has been extraordinarily klutzy for me. I dropped and broke a full bottle of ACV last night as we were prepping dinner and I got cut with flying glass. The whole kitchen got ACV all over it and it took Greg an hour to clean it fully and he couldn't get all of it out of the cabinet frame. And I had to throw out dinner and start again as Greg was adamant glass could have gotten into it though at this juncture maybe that wouldn't be so bad. LOL and JK. Just a little dark humor. Anyway I share that story because I got cut and now I have a few open wounds which can be easy entry points for ringworm. When one has breaks in one's skin ringworm loves to take hold if it is around. So wish me luck because that is another added complication I would prefer to do without. Yes I am bandaged up but the cuts are on my hands and arm. And I am washing my hands ten times an hour which makes it challenging with cuts and bandages. Yup when I do things I do them big.

Anyway that is the kitty update for now. Not a great start for the day but hey at least we are all alive and kicking and we will keep on going. You know that saying when you are going through hell keep going well that is what we are doing. No other option.

Have a good day all and thanks for your advice and support.

Little Oliver right now. Playing on the bed and purring.



You can sort of see all the black (fungus) on the right side of his face.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

wow Greg tried the medicine
im impressed
no wounder the kittys dont like it if it tastes like yucky medicine
cats are so fussy anyway
why don't they make it taste better ?

 

[missy]

wow Greg tried the medicine
im impressed
no wounder the kittys dont like it if it tastes like yucky medicine
cats are so fussy anyway
why don't they make it taste better ?

Exactly what we were thinking. Why indeed. From what I understand they make a chicken flavored Itrafungol but I cannot seem to find it here and anyway my guess is it isn't much more palatable. We will stick with this one as it is supposedly the most effective and we are not giving up. We will keep doing it til we get it in them. Or die trying.

So we went back downstairs and re-administered the oral liquid anti fungal meds. Gave Bobby half (since we estimated he got half earlier and spit out half) and gave Fred 1/3 since we estimated he got 2/3 of his necessary dose when we first gave it this AM and got Tommy and got the whole dose into Tommy. You would not believe what we went through. Talk about cat and mouse game poor kids. Tommy was on top of the Grandfather Clock and we had to get a ladder and put it against the clock and then Tommy ran down under the couch. Greg got a broomstick and tried getting him out from under the couch and we had to prevent him from running into the kitchen because then he goes right to the top of the fridge between the ceiling and refrigerator. There it is impossible to get him as he can potentially break a leg in that little precarious space between the fridge and ceiling. But I digress. After a few attempts with Tommy running back and forth under the couches ad ottomans I was finally able to grab him and Greg wrapped him in a towel (have I mentioned the amounts of laundry we are doing every day?) and I gave him the syringe. Whew. OK so all 4 cats orals administered. Now we have to do topicals 2-3 times today but that will be later. Need a break. And then all over again tomorrow. The orals are a real b**** to give to our cats.

Now onto the vacuuming and disinfecting of the entire house plus playpen and all the bowls/litterboxes etc. The fun never stops around here.

 

[missy]

Update: Fred continues to not do well. He cannot tolerate the Itrafungol meds and without those meds the odds are he will not get better with just lime sulfur dips and topicals. The fungus is spreading fast on him and both front paws and his entire face are now affected and that is all we can see and most probably there are other areas affected. We cannot shave him. It would be too traumatizing to Fred. We decided to stop the oral meds. He is miserable.

I just don't know what to do. Give him peace? Or keep trying with just topicals and lime dips. With his age I don't know if topicals and lime dips will be sufficient. As long as he is infected our other cats cannot clear the fungus. We cannot isolate Fred as he becomes crazy upset and meowing and stops eating. We are truly between a rock and a hard place as there is no good option. If we just had Fred we could let him live out his life with ringworm but because we have 3 other cats how can we do that? The other cats would never become well.

If this didn't happen Fred could have had years left. He is about 16 but besides arthritis and asthma he was always in good health. We are heartbroken and do not know what the right thing is to do here. If only we just had Fred and we didn't have to consider Bobby (who is also continuing to get worse), Oliver and Tommy.

@ecf8503 I am sorry to bother you again but I just wanted to know if you have any thoughts or experience with an older cat getting well from ringworm without oral Itrafungol treatments? Could the weekly lime sulfur dips and daily topical application be enough to get him well or because of his age it wouldn't be sufficient? Thanks.

 

[missy]

The fungus continues to spread on Oliver's face though his leg is getting better. You cannot see it in pics but here is little Oliver right now. He is growing fast.




We get up at 3:30 AM every day just to do give the cats meds and start cleaning. You can see it is still dark here.

 

[MaisOuiMadame]

Missy, I am so sorry for thus whole situation. Big hugs across the pond to you and your family. I cannot offer any insight, just compassion and heqling vibes and positive thoughts. (((hugs)))

 

[missy]

Missy, I am so sorry for thus whole situation. Big hugs across the pond to you and your family. I cannot offer any insight, just compassion and heqling vibes and positive thoughts. (((hugs)))

Thank you Kipari. I cannot believe how much our hearts continue breaking. Fred doesn't deserve this. We have to do what's best for him and I just wish I knew what that was at this point.

We were just cleaning the entire house and look where Fred and Bobby run and stay. At the top stair right before the attic. Poor babies.

 

[Slickk]

Thank you Kipari. I cannot believe how much our hearts continue breaking. Fred doesn't deserve this. We have to do what's best for him and I just wish I knew what that was at this point.

We were just cleaning the entire house and look where Fred and Bobby run and stay. At the top stair right before the attic. Poor babies.

Aww, your poor babies. Simply heartbreaking trying to decide what is the best for poor Fred. I am so sorry that you are dealing with this Missy. What a terrible situation to find yourself in. You’ll make the right decision. I wish I could be of more help. Sending my best to you all.

 

[stepcutnut]

@missy I wanted to wish you a belated Happy Birthday and send a big HUG! I just wanted to throw out there a couple of things for you to check into further for your fur babies.

1)B12 shots, these we have a Rx for and administer at home as needed and have been a life saver for our older or unhealthy cats. The shots stimulate appetite for several days, which seems to get them eating on their own after that(if they are able too) and it also boost their energy levels, thus improving mood.

2) www.calmmypet.com Has a few formulas for cats, we use the Calm My Rescue, spray in their water dishes and spray on our hands an wipe it on their faces and bodies as ours don't like to be sprayed with it-seems to de-stress them nicely. Seems weird, but it has worked wonders for our super stress cat.

Good luck and hang in there!!!

 

[missy]

@missy I wanted to wish you a belated Happy Birthday and send a big HUG! I just wanted to throw out there a couple of things for you to check into further for your fur babies.

1)B12 shots, these we have a Rx for and administer at home as needed and have been a life saver for our older or unhealthy cats. The shots stimulate appetite for several days, which seems to get them eating on their own after that(if they are able too) and it also boost their energy levels, thus improving mood.

2) www.calmmypet.com Has a few formulas for cats, we use the Calm My Rescue, spray in their water dishes and spray on our hands an wipe it on their faces and bodies as ours don't like to be sprayed with it-seems to de-stress them nicely. Seems weird, but it has worked wonders for our super stress cat.

Good luck and hang in there!!!

Thanks @stepcutnut for that great suggestion. We are giving him a B12 shot right now. We just so happened to have a few left over from Francesca's chemo treatments. I so appreciate your input.

There is a complication unfortunately. Fred just got another Upper Respiratory Infection. The last URI (about 6 weeks ago and then just 12 days ago) almost killed him. He refused all food for 5 full days. The fact that he got a third URI so quickly means he is just not able to fight anything off and the fungus has overtaken his entire face and both front legs. And that is what we can see. We had some hope earlier but now that he got another URI and looks so bad and is refusing all food is very grim.

Aww, your poor babies. Simply heartbreaking trying to decide what is the best for poor Fred. I am so sorry that you are dealing with this Missy. What a terrible situation to find yourself in. You’ll make the right decision. I wish I could be of more help. Sending my best to you all.

Thank you @Slick1. I wish I had a crystal ball to know the right thing to do.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

oh dear missy and family
i havn't posted for a few days but i havn't forgot you and you are all in my thoughts and prayers
(i think God just expects a long list of kitties from me these days)
3.30 am rises
goodness that's not so good for the human's either

 

[ecf8503]

@ecf8503 I am sorry to bother you again but I just wanted to know if you have any thoughts or experience with an older cat getting well from ringworm without oral Itrafungol treatments? Could the weekly lime sulfur dips and daily topical application be enough to get him well or because of his age it wouldn't be sufficient? Thanks.

Missy I'm so sorry this has been so hard on all of you - human and furry alike! I've been away for a week, so I'm just catching up now. Yes I've seen them recover without the Itrafungol. If his case isn't too bad, and all the others are being treated, the environment is clean, and he's not tolerating the medication, then I'd stop it on him.

 

[yssie]

Nothing terribly useful from me today @missy. Just a ::HUG:: to you and Greg - I'm still reading this thread every day and thinking about you! I'm glad to hear Oliver's leg is improving, but sad to see his face is not, and really really unhappy to read your update on Fred

You're doing everything you can. I can only imagine that you feel guilty about all of this... I hope you aren't blaming yourself. You made a choice with open hearts and the best of intentions. And you're doing your best now, with this impossible situation - I'm praying for Fred tonight. I'm praying that he decides to eat, drink, and take his medication

 

[missy]

Missy I'm so sorry this has been so hard on all of you - human and furry alike! I've been away for a week, so I'm just catching up now. Yes I've seen them recover without the Itrafungol. If his case isn't too bad, and all the others are being treated, the environment is clean, and he's not tolerating the medication, then I'd stop it on him.

Thanks @ecf8503 and I am glad you got to enjoy some time away and hope you had fun. Well it's certainly a rock and a hard place. We got him to eat a bit yesterday afternoon and evening (with much coaxing and Mirtizapine) and a little this morning so we gave him Itrafungol this morning. We gave it to him last week Wed/Thurs/Friday but stopped Saturday and Sunday but since he ate a bit gave it this AM. I know that is not the right way to give it but I am hoping getting some into him might help a little? His fungal infection is more moderate so I feel so unsure about just lime dips and topical application. I wish we could bathe him with Chlorhexidine and Ketaconazole but know we would not be able to. So just doing what we can and praying for him to survive this. If he stops eating again we will have to d/c the Itrafungol again. It's just his case isn't mild anymore and getting worse. His front paws are covered as is his face.

Thank you @ecf8503 and (((hugs))).

 

[missy]

Nothing terribly useful from me today @missy. Just a ::HUG:: to you and Greg - I'm still reading this thread every day and thinking about you! I'm glad to hear Oliver's leg is improving, but sad to see his face is not, and really really unhappy to read your update on Fred

You're doing everything you can. I can only imagine that you feel guilty about all of this... I hope you aren't blaming yourself. You made a choice with open hearts and the best of intentions. And you're doing your best now, with this impossible situation - I'm praying for Fred tonight. I'm praying that he decides to eat, drink, and take his medication

Thank you @yssie yes I know feeling guilty is useless but you are so right. I do feel guilty because it is my fault. Not sugar coating the fact it was my choice to rescue and adopt Oliver in order to honor Francesca's life by saving another especially because he was going to lose his eye. If I could turn back the clock I would. I love Oliver and so does Greg but our other cats deserved better. But I know there is no going back so I am moving forward and doing all we can to save Fred and the other cats because they are all getting worse. I know I have to be patient and I just hope that torturing the cats pays off and they all recover. Thank you for praying for Fred and thank you for your continued support. And thank you for the hug. (((Hugs))) to you too.

 

[missy]

oh dear missy and family
i havn't posted for a few days but i havn't forgot you and you are all in my thoughts and prayers
(i think God just expects a long list of kitties from me these days)
3.30 am rises
goodness that's not so good for the human's either

Thank you Daisy. I appreciate that. As for 330 AM rises we have no choice. If we don't get started at that hour I cannot accomplish all I want to for the day so it is a bit selfish of me but there you have it. Plus I cannot sleep well with what is going on anyway. I was always not a great sleeper but this has made it that much worse. I just want the cats to get better. Please let them get better.

I couldn't get a good photo of Fred's face or paws but here is the best I could do.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Thank you Daisy. I appreciate that. As for 330 AM rises we have no choice. If we don't get started at that hour I cannot accomplish all I want to for the day so it is a bit selfish of me but there you have it. Plus I cannot sleep well with what is going on anyway. I was always not a great sleeper but this has made it that much worse. I just want the cats to get better. Please let them get better.

I couldn't get a good photo of Fred's face or paws but here is the best I could do.

poor babies

 

[yssie]

Is it your birthday today @missy?

Happy birthday love!!! I hope the crittery is nice to you today!!

 

[Weecam]

I’m so sorry you’re going through all of this @missy. I’ve just started reading your thread but don’t have much to contribute. Please don’t feel guilty, you’re doing everything you can and more. Those cats are lucky to have you and Greg.

I worked in a vet clinic in my early 20’s until I developed severe asthma. I absolutely loved it however sometimes it was very heartbreaking. I would cry along with the owners.

Please don’t forget to take care of yourself as well.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

This sucks big time. Poor furries and peoples. Me despises ringworms

healing vibes across the miles

 

[missy]

Is it your birthday today @missy?

Happy birthday love!!! I hope the crittery is nice to you today!!

Thanks @yssie my birthday was Saturday. It was a gorgeous birthday weekend and it was nice to be able to cycle this weekend.
The cat saga looks like it might be continuing into 2020. I will explain below. This is our new normal and just hoping it doesn't get even worse.