Ticks are parasites that can transmit serious diseases, including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. A cat tick should be properly removed without delay. It is important to routinely check your cat for ticks, especially if your cat spends a lot of time outside.
Check Your Cat for Ticks
Ticks
are arachnids, which may be found on plants, weeds or tall grass. They
may attach themselves to humans or animals. Ticks may crawl onto your
cat and get under his fur and attach themselves anywhere on your cat's
skin. It is a good idea to carefully check for ticks around your cat's
ears, between the toes, and both armpits. It is advantageous to check
your cat daily for ticks, and to promptly remove any ticks in the
correct manner to prevent disease or infection.
A tick that has been on your cat for a couple of hours to a few days may have a flat appearance. However, a tick that has been on your cat for several days may appear more rounded. An infected tick can transmit a disease to your cat. Ticks can spread several diseases to cats, including ehrlichiosis, babesioisis and haemobartonellosis.
If your cat only has one tick, you may decide to try to effectively remove it yourself. However, if your cat is severely infested with ticks, you should visit your veterinarian for proper tick removal.
Method for Cat Tick Removal
Always remember to use protective gloves when you are removing a cat tick. Some tick-borne diseases can actually be transmitted through contact with breaks in the skin.
Ticks that are not directly attached to the cat's skin may be easily removed with tweezers or special tick-removing devices. If the tick has its head buried under your cat's skin, you must be cautious when pulling the tick from your cat's body.
Carefully grasp the tick with tweezers, as close to your cat's body as possible, and gently lift the tick off of your cat. A drop of rubbing alcohol applied to the tick may cause the tick to release its hold on the cat's skin. If the head of the tick remained in your cat's skin after you tried to pull the tick off of your cat, you can contact your vet for his advise.
Once the tick is successfully removed from your cat's skin, you can put the tick in a jar with a small amount of rubbing alcohol and seal the lid. Before you dispose of the tick, you can ask your veterinarian if he wants to check if the tick was carrying any tick-borne diseases.
Clean the tweezers with rubbing alcohol, or hot soap and water when you are done. Remember to monitor the area where you removed the tick from your cat, and notify your vet if you see any swelling or redness.
Prevention to Control Ticks
It may be helpful for outdoor control of ticks to cut tall grass and trim bushes. Check with your veterinarian about the use of recommended topical flea and tick control products for your cat.