Did You Know Ringworm is a Fungus?

Every four-legged creature in my house hates me, even though what we are doing is for their own darned good — kinda like when I have to explain to a seller why she needs to fix up her home to sell or when I have to tell a buyer’s agent that the bank says her buyer needs to pay more to buy that Sacramento short sale, and the reactions I receive. It’s a familiar feeling. I’m like that walnut in Plants vs. Zombies when you give it plant food, though. Holding power.

If you’ve never had to deal with ringworm, you’re fortunate. I was fortunate for 60-some years until a few weeks ago. The vet says our new Ocicat, who came from a breeder in Auburn, is most likely the carrier — but you know how small some people are; things like this, they would never own up to it unless we forced the issue, and it’s just not worth the hassle we’ve already got. Little Tessa is the only new thing in the house.

Ringworm is a fungus and not a worm, which is a fact I wish I did not have to know, but now that I do, I’ll share that bit of information with you. I first discovered it because I looked in the mirror a few weeks ago. Polka-dot city was all over my face. I looked like a kid with measles, only really large 1960’s type of polka dots, as though the ghost of Andy Warhol broke into the house and painted my face while I slept. Was counting my lucky stars, believe you me, that I have a dermatologist who could immediately see me and take care of this. But the cats take longer to clear up.

We had to wash every piece of cloth material in the house. Thank goodness we don’t have carpeting. We threw out all of their toys and scratching pads, thoroughly vacuumed and recovered the 3 cat condos (which we’ll eventually discard) and closed off the formal living area of our home from the rest of it. The Ragdoll, Jackson, who is most susceptible, has to live in a back bedroom and bath, while the other two Ocicats are isolated to the family room and kitchen.

All 3 cats receive terbinafine cream twice a day and pills once a day. The vet shaved their infected areas. The highlight of yesterday was giving all 3 cats a medicated bath. They are now bathed once a week. I have a lot of experience with bathing cats because I used to live in flea city on Balboa Peninsula in Newport Beach, so my poor husband is spared this chore and now must admit something good came out of living in Orange County. While all of this is going on, I’m talking on my Bluetooth to sellers from Elk Grove, Sacramento and West Sacramento who want to put their homes on the market this week and next.

It was like yesterday was the aftermath explosion from Thanksgiving dinners all over Sacramento, during which family members said, “Hey, you should sell that Sacramento home and call Elizabeth Weintraub.” I don’t have any other rationale for this sudden burst of listing activity. Good thing I can do a fairly decent job at multitasking and am organized.

As for the fungus, well, I’m almost wishing I had kids with nits.