Ticks in cats – Symptoms and how to remove them

Although ticks in dogs are more frequent, cats can also be affected by these ectoparasites, especially those cats that do not have adequate preventive medicine. In addition to feeding on their blood and producing an intense itch, ticks can also transmit serious diseases to our kittens, such as Cytauxzoonosis felina, a very severe pathology popularly known as “wild cat fever”. Therefore, it is essential to prevent these ectoparasites to preserve the good health of our pigs.

In this article we teach you How to identify ticks in cats and eliminate them correctamente. In addition, we summarize some tips essential to prevent our kittens from being affected by these annoying parasites.

Can cats have ticks?

Although many tutors believe that no, the truth is that cats can have ticks. In general, domestic kittens that do not usually make trips to the outside of the home have very little chance of coming into contact with these ectoparasites. Recall that ticks are found mainly in parks, squares with vegetation or grass, fields, gardens, forests, rural areas, etc. However, the felines that are used to walks to the outside they can be contagious with ticks directly or indirectly, from contact with other cats or dogs. In addition, the kittens that they live with dogs who usually walk outdoors can also get infected from contact with their home companion. Likewise, it should be noted that even we can bring the ticks to our home without realizing it.

Furthermore, the stray cats they represent the feline population most prone to suffer the attack of ticks, since they live in unfavorable conditions and do not receive regular deworming. Therefore, if you have recently adopted a kitten, do not forget to go quickly to the veterinarian to confirm your state of health and start your immunization and deworming.

Diseases that transmit ticks to cats

As we have mentioned, ticks can transmit severe pathologies to our pigs, since they act as vectors for various pathogens, such as protozoa and bacteria. Next, we summarize the main diseases that can transmit ticks to cats:

• Feline cytauxzoonosis (Maltese cat fever)
• Lyme’s desease
• Tularemia (rabbit fever)
• Feline babeosis
• Feline infectious anemia (haemobartonellosis)
• Ehrlichiosis
• Paralysis

How to know if my cat has ticks?

Ticks are small arachnids (as well as mites) that obtain the nutrients necessary for their survival from the parasitization of other organisms. These parasites lodge in the skin of different animals to suck their blood and, thus, feed and reproduce, completing their life cycle.

The various known species of ticks are divided into 2 large groups: hard ticks and soft ticks. Between hard species, we find the ticks of the genus Rhipicehpahlus, the most numerous and widespread specimens all over the world. These ticks are the ones that most commonly parasitize dogs and cats, staying mainly on their backs. Its main characteristic is the dark carapace It coats and protects your body, which usually shows a dark brown color.

Among the soft species, the best known is the Otobius megnini, that usually lodges in the ears of the animals that parasitize. Unlike hard ticks, these ectoparasites they do not have a hard layer on the outside of your body, therefore, its texture to the touch is soft. In addition, they usually have a lighter color, between beige and cream.

In the same animal, we can observe the three phases that make up the life cycle of ticks: larvae, nymphs and adults. In general, younger ticks (larvae and nymphs) usually settle in the dorsal region, where they find thicker and firmer skin. In the adult stage, these parasites usually lodge in the softer and finer skin of the legs (mainly between the fingers), in the ears, in the neck and in the perianal area.

Symptoms of ticks in cats

The most obvious sign of ticks in cats is their own parasite identification. Therefore, if you distrust that your kitten may have come in contact with ticks, it is essential to carry out a thorough review of your entire body, paying special attention to the regions already mentioned.

However, cats can also develop some symptoms associated with the presence of ticks in their body, such as constant scratching as a result of itching caused by bites. Some kittens can also use their teeth to try to relieve itching. In addition, to feed on the cat’s blood, the tick must pierce its skin, which is why hemorrhage occurs relatively easy to identify.

When the ectoparasites are not eliminated quickly and multiply, more serious symptoms may appear, such as anemia, paralysis or poisoning.

What should I do if my cat has ticks?

If you notice that your cat has many ticks, the first thing you should do is to stay calm and not despair. Nobody likes to identify these annoying parasites in their beloved pussycat, but calmness will be essential to know how to react with intelligence and prudence. In these cases, the best is Take your cat to the vet to establish a fast and effective treatment that eliminates ticks. In addition, in the clinic, the professional may perform a physical examination and request some tests to verify the patient’s health status.

However, if you identify one or two ticks in the body of your pussycat, you can remove them in your own home, always with great care. Next, we tell you how to do it.

How to remove a tick from a cat?

If your cat is very itchy and distrustful that it may have come in contact with ticks, but you can not find any adult specimen with the naked eye, you can use a flea comb to brush all the fur of your pussycat. Carefully, we can make several soft passes to try to eliminate the larvae and identify ticks in cats. Always with the care of eliminating them with each pass to avoid new contaminations.

For remove adult ticks from your cat, you should be very calm and proceed with great care, always using appropriate tools, such as small tweezers. Do not try to do it with your own hands or use other objects that may harm your pussycat or you. Why is it necessary to use tweezers? Very simple, because when using the wrong tools we can make the mistake of leaving the head of the tick inside the body of the animal, a fact that can favor the development of an infection.

Steps to remove a tick from a cat

1. The tick must be removed completely, so the clamp should always be located as close as possible to the mouth of the parasite that is attached to the skin of the animal. If we remove only a part of the tick or make it explode, it can generate a severe infection in the organism of our pigs.
2. After properly locating the clamp, you must start pull very gently up, without turning or making sudden movements.
3. After removing the tick, it is essential clean and disinfect the wound in the skin of the cat. And do not forget to take your kitten to the veterinarian to verify his health status and rule out any pathology transmitted by ticks.

If you have difficulty removing your cat’s tick, a very effective trick is to apply a thin layer of olive oil or apple cider vinegar on it with a clean gauze pad. After carrying out this act, wait a few seconds, since sometimes the tick detaches itself.

How to prevent ticks in cats?

The most effective way to prevent your pussycat from having ticks is to offer you adequate preventive medicine, the pillars of which are vaccination and vaccination. periodic deworming. Various products are available in the market to deworm cats, such as pipettes, collars, internal antiparasitics and antiparasitic hygiene products (shampoos, soaps or colognes).

On the other hand, you can also choose Deworm your cat using home remedies and more natural, such as apple cider vinegar, lavender essential oil or lemon juice. However, it is always recommended that you consult your veterinarian before applying any home treatment in your pussycat.

In addition, to remove ticks from our home, we must adopt sustainable hygiene habits, always using cleaning products pet friendly. Remember that common products contain irritating and corrosive chemicals that harm the health of our pets. It is also important that we ventilate our home quite often and have a good light.

This article is merely informative, in .com we do not have the faculty to prescribe veterinary treatments or make any kind of diagnosis. We invite you to take your pet to the veterinarian in case of any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to Ticks in cats – Symptoms and how to remove them, we recommend that you enter in our Deworming section.