Although fungal disease is a disease that can be seen in all pets, it is much more common in cats. Cats with the disease have suppressed immune systems. Environmental hygiene is very important both in the prevention of disease and in the treatment process, as fungi have the potential to survive for a long period of time, such as 1 year.
What Is Fungus Disease in Cats?
Fungal disease, known as Trichophytosis in medical language, occurs when various fungi cause infection in the body. Fungal infection is a type of contagious disease. From the moment the fungus organism enters the living body, it can spread rapidly on all organs. Therefore, the lungs, eyes and lymph nodes are at risk in fungal diseases.
How Is Fungus Transmitted?
Especially humid weather such as autumn and winter are the periods when the fungus is seen the most and spreads faster. For this reason, it is critical to protect the habitats of cats living in humid climates, especially in winter, during seasonal transitions, in terms of hygienic conditions.
Since their immunity is low, it is more common in kittens, old or sick cats with weakened immunity, and long-haired cats such as Chinchilla and Persian.
The conditions where the risk of transmission of fungal disease, which also has a risk of inter-species and human-to-human transmission in the common use of cats and humans, are as follows:
- Fur stuffiness in long-haired and poorly cared-for dense-haired types
- Stuffiness and lack of hygiene in shelter areas
- Shared use of accessories and materials such as cages, leashes, food bowls
- Non-following of cats living indoors and outdoors
What Are the Symptoms of Fungus Disease in Cats?
Fungal disease symptoms in cats are generally observed in the head and neck region. Depending on the type of fungus, the symptoms may be mild or severe. Fungal disease is most often manifested by redness, itching, scaling and watering in tissues such as skin, feathers and nails. The most common symptoms are as follows:
- Decreased physical activity
- Fatigue, weakness
- Bad smell
- Skin and subcutaneous lesions
- Shedding of hairs
- Eye problems
- Bloody discharge from the nose
- Oily leather
- Shortness of breath
- Sneezing
- Depression
- Cough
- Diarrhea
- Fever
- Loss of appetite
- Rarely, paralysis and blindness,
How to Diagnose Fungus Disease in Cats?
If the veterinarian suspects a possible fungal disease, the methods used in the definitive diagnosis process are:
- Complete blood count or blood test
- Urine test
- GIS test
- Biochemical blood examination,
- X-ray
- Microscopic examination of skin lesions
- Endoscopy under anesthesia
- Wood lamp
If the diagnosis of fungal disease is confirmed as a result of the examinations, treatment is applied with veterinary planning depending on the stage of the disease.
How to Treat Fungus Disease in Cats?
In healthy cats, fungal disease may resolve spontaneously within 1-2 weeks. However, if fungal symptoms are seen, a veterinarian should be consulted without delay, and it should be treated as it is a disease with a high probability of infecting humans and other animals. If the disease is not treated, it can become chronic.
If the diagnosis of fungal disease is confirmed as a result of the examinations, a treatment process is started under the control of the physician, depending on the stage of the disease. Fungal disease, which is seen in cats and cannot be treated, can quickly spread to the whole body and cause various infections. These infections can cause cats to shed all their hair, as well as cause deep wounds on their skin.
In order to prevent the disease from recurring after the treatment, the living areas of the cats should be disinfected frequently and the test applied before the treatment should be repeated and a negative result should be obtained.
Is Fungus in Cats Infected to Humans?
Some types of fungi that cause fungal disease in cats can also infect humans. Especially children are in the primary risk group because their immune systems are not fully developed and they do not have much control over their body cleaning. People with cold and flu infections will have a lower body resistance, so it is easier to get a fungal infection. That's why cat owners need to clean their environment frequently and take hygiene measures when coming into contact with cats outside.
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