Return of the Wuss Cat

As in literally, he returned from the vet today. Again.

We got a call from the vet yesterday. When we had Wuss Cat in to examine the raw spot he'd scratched on his shoulder, they took a sample for a fungus culture. It finally came back positive; Wuss Cat has ringworm. Wuss Cat is now Grunge Boy.

Unfortunately, it's spreading to the other cats. This isn't going to be fun: Grunge Boy needs an antifungal bath every week for the next three weeks. We really should do that to all four cats, including lathering them up with antifungal soap, and letting it sit on them for 10 minutes before washing it off. One cat at a time. I really can't see us pulling off that kind of circus in our house. I've bathed cats before; that's not the problem. It's catching them, confining them, then telling them to take a number while the cats ahead of them get their baths. Bathing them is easy; it's the panic of kitty anticipation that I don't look forward to. Grunge Boy isn't the only wussy cat who knows how to run and hide, and how to outsmart two people trying to catch him.

On the other hand, hauling them all to the vet and having them do the baths is expensive. We're not exactly rolling in money these days. So we have topical meds for the other cats, while we wait and hope that the ringworm doesn't contaminate everything in the house and spread back to Grunge Boy. So every week when Grunge Boy gets his bath (he doesn't get a choice), we need to wash all our laundry and bedding, bleach the sofa, boil the carpets, vacuum the walls, and do everything else possible to rid the house of contaminated cat hair. Ever try to get rid of cat hair in a multi-cat household?

Your circus for my circus. I'll trade you. Sight unseen.