My kitten has some sort of skin infection what is it?

[frankiedee]

Ive attached a picture.

The doc says its some sort of fungal/bacterial infection but she's too young to be treated orally so I'm applying a topical cream. but now i seem to have started getting these things on my arm and they look completely different to what she has, could they be related?

in the photo, kitten on the left, me on the right

[opus88]

hi frankie, did the Vet not say what the fungal infection was/is?
I suspect it is possibly ringworm.....and yes this can spread to you as well. the cat needs to be treated with something more than a topical cream, and you will need treatment also.
I'm not saying this is for sure what it is, I will try and find a site that also has photos for you to compare. Please have your own doctor look at your marks and than have another talk with the Vet.....HOW OLD is kitty?

http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/ringworm.html

[opus88]

http://cats.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=cats&cdn=homegarden&tm=299&f=10&tt=13&bt=1&bts=1&zu=http%3A//www.peteducation.com/article.cfm%3Fc%3D1%2b2142%26aid%3D2729

I found this site with some photos....♥

[PrettyKitty1]

Is it itchy? Ringworm itches a lot. My cats had it. It is hard to get rid of ringworm but it can be done. Whatever you do, please don't use tea tree oil. You may use any topical cream....over the counter. You can get it at your local pharmacy store.

Good Luck!

[frankiedee]

thanks guys! yeah i was wondering if it could be ringworm, cos the things on my arm are very very itchy, but none of them are particularly round looking .. Lulu is only 8 weeks old and the vet said she was too little to be treated orally so they didnt run a fungal culture, so i dont know what it is.... if you come across anything else it could be, do send them along.... thank you!!!!

[frankiedee]

i found it!

http://all-pets-info.com/fleacontrol/Flea-Bite-picture.html

its incredible, its like the same pictures of my arm were used :D

so its cat flea bites....sigh...

[opus88]

That would be much easier to treat than ringworm, I hope you are right.. BUT.why didn't the Vet give any flea treatment?
he said he thought it was fungal...well fleas aren't fungal, if he suspected fleas he surely would have given kitty a flea treatment.
Best to see the Vet again and find out for sure what you and kitty are up against....
I read on a Vet remark somewhere to use an antifungal cream used as a treatment for 'athletes foot', sorry can't remember the brand name, but there are a few avail. over the counter....if you try this please dab on very lightly, kitty will be licking and it maynot agree with his system.....must be safe if a Vet mentioned it(on this site somewhere, did anyone else see it too?)
good luck♥

[nancyjac]

Looks like ringworm to me.  And yes, ringworm can be passed from cat to human and vice versa.  The bad news is that it can take a while to resolve.  The good news is that it is rarely serious.  I've never heard of any oral meds for fungal infections, so not sure how that is relevant anyway.  You can use any OTC anti-fungal ointment (e.g. Tinactin, Lamacil, etc.) on both you and the cat.  Rub a small amount in well on the affected areas and try to keep the cat from licking it off as ingesting the ointment could give her some nausia.   The spores can survive for quite a while on most any surface so it is also a good idea to wash bedding in a bleach solution.  Fungi survive best in dark and damp environment, so to the extent practicable try to maintain a low humidity environment.