Cats And Ticks

Although dogs are the animals most affected by these unwanted parasites, cats can also be pinched by ticks. Most of these pests live in woods or shrubs, but some also reside in parks and gardens. And that’s where they get attached to our animals. One of the reasons why cats are not very inclined to get ticks could be because they spend more time on their personal hygiene than dogs and, perhaps, they are able to find these annoying hosts and eliminate them before they stick to the skin. suck blood. In any case, we must certainly not decrease the attention towards our feline for this reason alone.

How fleas behave on cats

• Remember that spring and summer are the seasons when ticks are most active and animals are more likely to be affected. For this reason, during these months you must pay more attention to prevention and control, to ensure that your kitten remains free from these annoying parasites.

• Most ticks introduce anesthetic substances with their saliva when they bite, so it is highly unlikely that your cat will notice that they are sucking his blood away. They won’t even feel itchy. For this, it is  important that you check it periodically. First, pet and play with your cat for a moment. You may be able to find some adult ticks, as the larvae are too small to be seen with the naked eye.

• The blood loss caused by ticks is not harmful to your pet. The fundamental danger is that they can transmit diseases: ehrlichiosis, hepatozoonosis, meningoencephalitis, babesiosis, borreliosis, etc.

• To get rid of ticks that have not yet attached to your cat’s skin, you can use a flea comb to remove adult parasites and perhaps some larvae. To find ticks that have already attached themselves, you must instead touch your pet’s skin for small bumps. Do it against the hair and accompany this movement with a careful visual inspection. Look carefully behind the ears, on the neck and between the toes.

• Although there are numerous natural recipes on the internet to rid your pet of ticks, they are all of dubious effectiveness. The only way to remove ticks with certainty, if you want to avoid chemical methods, is by hand, one by one and with the utmost care. They cannot simply be pulled out, as they could break off and the head will remain inside the cat’s skin, causing serious infections. Try to remove them with specially made tweezers, grabbing them as close as possible to your pet’s skin. If you manage to remove them, be sure to kill them. It is usually not an easy task. You can try it with alcohol. If, on the other hand, you cannot remove them, consult your vet on how to do it in the best way.

Know your enemy

• Ticks are part of the arachnid family.

• Their life cycle is completed in two months, but can extend up to three years, since they manage to decrease their vital functions, waiting for more favorable environmental conditions.

• They have the ability to accumulate in their body, without digesting it, part of the blood that they suck and consume it progressively over months or even years.

• Their mouth is made in such a way as to deform and adhere strongly to the skin of the animal that hosts them.

• When their eggs hatch, the larvae emerge and immediately look for a host: an animal, a rodent or even people. After feeding, the larva detaches itself from the host and then begins to search for a new source of nutrition. They can also drop off the new host animal to transform back into an adult on the ground. They will then look for a third host to continue feeding on his blood.

• In less than a week, an adult female can increase its size by four times, in fact it can reach up to 2 centimeters, and about a hundred times its weight. After mating, it descends from the host and lays between three thousand and four thousand eggs, in an area rich in vegetation, such as a garden.

Knowing these facts, and always assuming that prevention is better than cure, if your cat spends a lot of time outside the home, consider applying an external anti-parasite product to prevent it from being hit and infected. Your vet will certainly be able to recommend the best products for your cat and best suited to the situation.