Cat Worm Skin Symptoms
- Feline ringworm, despite the name, is caused by fungal infection.cat image by tnk333 from Fotolia.com
Ringworm is a common feline skin disease. It is not actually a worm infestation, but a fungal infection. Feline ringworm tends to occur with kittens whose immune systems haven't fully developed, and with adult cats whose immune systems have been weakened by stress or other diseases. Luckily, symptoms of ringworm are easily noticed, and the condition itself is entirely curable. - In the early stages of the condition, there will be hair loss and broken hair in circular patterns. These patterns, if untreated, will grow and expand into larger, irregular patterns. The ringworm fungus, which feeds off of the dead hair of animals, causes the hair in the infected area to become brittle and break off, resulting in small bald patches.
- The skin irritation resulting from feline ringworm will take the form of scaliness, bumpiness, redness, and inflammation. In the earlier stages of ringworm, your cat's skin will have a red raised circular bump in the infected area, which he may repeatedly scratch to relieve itching. As the infection runs its course, the circular shape will expand, healing from the inside outward.
- Claws will re-grow naturally when the disease is brought under control.cat paws image by Albert Lozano from Fotolia.com
Less frequent than the skin and hair infections that come from feline ringworm are the claw infections, known as onychomycosis. Onychomycosis can be easily spotted, as it causes your cat's claws to become pitted and rough textured. In more extreme instances, the shape of your cats' claws may actually become deformed. It's important to note that any claw deformation resulting from feline ringworm isn't permanent, and that your cats' claws will re-grow properly after successful treatment.
