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Ringworm Recovery

Rescuing and caring for cats with ringworm requires time and careful quarantine procedures. This basic treatment makes a big impact.

It is a simple fungal infection of the skin, but ringworm can spread easily to humans and other pets. Since saving animals with ringworm is a time-consuming commitment, they are at high risk of euthanasia when the city shelter becomes full.

Thanks to support from PetSmart Charities, PAWS operates a dedicated ringworm ward to house and care for cats and kittens during this lengthy process. On the grounds of our Grays Ferry clinic but entirely separate from the rest of our animal housing, it is a climate-controlled mini-shelter, custom fitted with 16 caging units. By consolidating ringworm treatment across our facilities, our veterinary staff can work more efficiently and we reduce the risk of infecting other shelter populations.

Our ringworm ward allows PAWS to rescue more ringworm cases than ever before, and enables us to use our existing medical isolation spaces for cats and dogs with other ailments who we would not have been able to save otherwise. The rooms we formerly used for ringworm cats now offer expanded space for us to rescue and care for animals with calicivirus, panleukopenia, parvovirus, and other issues, which in most cases are treatable with enough time and resources.

Saving more animals with special medical needs like these is key to bringing Philadelphia closer to becoming a no-kill city. This program has contributed to the steadily rising save rate for cats in Philadelphia, from 83% when it started in 2017 to 86% and climbing in 2020.

Historically, PAWS would provide the lengthy ringworm treatment and wait for cats to test negative before making them available for adoption. But in 2018, PAWS launched an adoption program for ringworm cats. Through this effort, animals can start their new lives earlier, with adopters bringing them back to PAWS’ clinics for all necessary treatment (lime sulfur dips, medication, and fungal cultures) until they are well. In doing so, we remove a barrier to adoption, provide an earlier exit for shelter cats, and can open more shelter spaces to rescue other cats whose lives depend on it.

While ringworm exists year-round, it is most prevalent during warmer months, so demand for that space is especially high in the summer. Therefore, we offer the same treatment services to foster parents willing to take (or keep) cats and kittens with ringworm home with them. This expansion of our foster program frees up even more space in our dedicated ringworm ward for other cats in need.

More than 300 cats and kittens have been housed and treated in our ringworm ward since it opened, and hundreds more have been saved because it made medical isolation space available for other needs.

Specialized Care


Inside PAWS’ ringworm ward, where rescued cats receive treatment and move a step closer to finding their forever homes.

Meet a Resident


Penne is just one of the cats who is safe at home now, thanks to PAWS’ ringworm adoption program. Found as a stray in the Northeast, Penne received treatment for several weeks in our ringworm ward. He found a loving foster home, and then an adopter, who continued his care with supplies and support from PAWS.

Help our Ringworm Cats


Support for PAWS’ ringworm treatment and recovery efforts helps ensure we can continue dedicating the time, space, and effort required to give these cats and kittens a fresh start, and supporting our adopters and foster parents who generously open their homes to do the same.

Donate to the Ringworm Care Fund

EXPLORE MORE LIFESAVING PROGRAMS

FIV+ AND FELV+ CATS


Previously considered “unsavable,” cats with these manageable conditions have so much love to give. At PAWS, they find the care they need and are matched with loving adopters who are ready to help them live their best lives.

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Bottle-Feeding Kittens


The tiniest and most vulnerable homeless pets are orphaned newborn kittens. PAWS’ innovative program takes a team approach to giving them the round-the-clock, intensive care they need to survive and thrive.

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Cat Rescue and Care


PAWS rescues homeless cats who are most in danger: those with treatable medical or behavioral issues, mothers with kittens, and orphans who are too young for adoption. We help them get well, then place them in loving homes.

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