Content
- Fungi in cats
- Fungal symptoms in cats
- Diagnosis of fungi in cats
- Treatment of fungi in cats
- Other tips for treating fungus in cats
Cats are strong animals, with a high life expectancy and independent, but as with humans, they are also susceptible to contracting multiple diseases, some of them caused by microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria or fungi.
Despite the independent nature of felines, as owners we must monitor their health status to be able to act when our pet manifests any changes. Paying attention to symptoms that you may express or frequently revise your paws will be a good way to detect them.
To learn more about the diseases that can affect your cat, in this article by PeritoAnimal we will explain them to you. Symptoms and Treatment of Fungi in Cats.
Fungi in cats
There are several types of fungi that can infect your cat and in any case they will cause a topical condition, since the fungi that originate the infection colonize and reproduce in the superficial and dead layers of the hair, skin and nails, causing great symptoms, as we will explain below.
In 90% of cases, ringworm in cats is caused by the fungus. Microsporum Kennels. It is a very contagious situation, not only for animals that are with the cat, but also for humans, so it is very important to know the symptoms of fungal infestation, also known as ringworm.
Fungal symptoms in cats
If your cat's organism is being attacked by fungi, you should start noticing the following in your pet symptoms and manifestations of this disease:
- Circular lesions on the head, ears and feet;
- Hairless areas in areas where any injury has occurred;
- The skin flakes off and shows symptoms of inflammation;
- The cat may have nail injuries;
- Itching is constant.
Diagnosis of fungi in cats
If you see any of the symptoms in your cat that we mentioned before, you should go to the veterinarian immediately, since the first step to follow is to confirm the diagnosis, as the characteristic symptoms of ringworm in cats may also be due to other conditions. One of the examples of common fungal diseases in cats is sporotrichosis.
In addition to carrying out a complete physical exploration, the veterinarian will be able to observe the damaged hair under a microscope, use an ultraviolet light lamp or perform a fungal culture not only for the purpose of confirming the presence of fungi, but also to determine which fungal strain is causing the condition.
Treatment of fungi in cats
The veterinarian is the only person able to prescribe a pharmacological treatment to your cat, in the case of fungi, antifungal active principles will be used, such as ketoconazole, which can be administered through different routes:
- Topical treatment: Generally used whenever there is feline mycosis, the topical treatment will be carried out not only with the application of lotions or ointments, but the veterinarian can also indicate a body care product with antifungal components to bathe the cat periodically.
- oral treatment: Antifungal drugs can have several adverse reactions, so oral treatment will only be used in more severe cases or when there is no therapeutic response to topical treatment.
Antifungal treatments need a extended application time to completely end the condition, so it is very important that the owner commits to carry out an adequate therapeutic compliance.
Other tips for treating fungus in cats
- Use gloves to handle the cat, wash your hands thoroughly and periodically.
- Perform a thorough cleaning of the environment, vacuuming to destroy the fungus spores.
- Get rid of all possible accessories, as fungi can also be found on these surfaces.
- The yeast infection affects to a greater degree those cats that do not have a competent immune system, to increase your pet's defenses you can use homeopathy for cats.
This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.