Comment on Discussion Thread š¦ Tuesday 24 February 2026
melbaboutown@aussie.zone āØ13ā© āØhoursā© ago
Welpā¦ the anxiety energy is back even if my body is exhausted. I managed to get stuck into cleaning but after a while Melbcat started crying and howling until I lay down for a cuddle.
spoiler
Sheās been settled and had her meds so Iām back to washing every piece of cloth in the house in case the spores got in and thinking how to make my furniture setup more movable for more regular vacuuming. I guess if done right this will also break the flea cycle š and my body
Iāve ordered a black light but am aware it may be low quality and also not every type of ringworm glows.
I have no idea what to do about the black cat. It would be easy to just stop feeding him and patting him, let someone else help him. Especially with all the nursing care on my plate for my own cat. Especially as I canāt exactly see him regularly to apply ointment, and a medicated bath or quarantined fostering in my bathroom is out of the question. But I donāt know if anyone else is helping.
Eh. One thing at a time huh.
Also itās been determined my own roof is fine - itās the roof of my neighbour thatās allowing ingress and led to my ceiling cavity being flooded when it rains. Unfortunately these neighbours wouldnāt talk to me and may not speak English so it persisted for years. But the managers will deal with it now.
StudChud@aussie.zone āØ7ā© āØhoursā© ago
You are a kind soul, may I suggest some things?
stop patting the black cat. Only because it might have a disease you canāt see and Melbcat is fragile at the moment.
notify the council and local shelters/rescue orgs of the black cat. BC will need to be captured and assessed to determine what issues they may have, and whether they can be treated/rehabbed.
focus on you and Melbcat. You two are most important.
melbaboutown@aussie.zone āØ6ā© āØhoursā© ago
Thanks Spud. I really should stop patting himā¦ š
spoiler
I was aware of the possibility of ringworm due to tiny round patches of hair loss but took measures such as wearing long clothing then removing shoes, washing hands, fully showering and changing into fresh clothing afterwards (putting the old stuff in the wash immediately). He wants affection you see, and will brush up against your arms and legs. I think this lesion happened because a single time I rushed out in shorts to get him dosed with a flea and worm spot on, he head bunted my knee, and I must have neglected to wash that area thoroughly in the shower afterwards. I slipped up. I forgot and walked in the house a few times with shoes on too.
Iāve been resisting turning him in because 1. the risk of euthanasia is likely high and the vet and pet shop manager Iāve spoken to agree. And 2. thereās a non-zero chance he may belong to a neighbour, maybe even an aggressive mentally ill neighbour who looks for reasons to take revenge.
I would very likely have to trap him myself to turn him in which could be a very complicated process. I can talk to someone who worked in cat rescue about my options but as an adult black cat with suspected ringworm and possible cat flu Iām scared of getting him killed.
But I may have to concentrate on Melbcat because she doesnāt seem in a good way.
Seagoon_@aussie.zone āØ5ā© āØhoursā© ago
just do what you can and feel comfortable with, hugs