It is very common for your cat to encounter ticks if he/she likes to explore the outside world a lot. These tiny creatures can attack your pet’s body and can feed on cats for days. It is very important to catch these cat ticks in order to save your cats from discomfort and pain.
According to the best animal doctor in Lahore, the ticks in the cats if not removed timely can pass on certain infections that can cause different diseases. If you are a cat owner and are not familiar with ticks, then let’s first learn about them and then find the ways to remove them from your cat’s body.
Introducing Cat Ticks
Cat ticks belong to two different groups. One is hard ticks and the other is soft ticks. Hard cat ticks appear just like sunflower seeds. They can be easily visible and noticed on the cat’s skin. The other type is soft ticks. These appear as small raisins and are found rarely on cats.
Ticks are parasites that feed on the blood of a cat’s skin to fill themselves. They are tiny creatures that are brown, black, or red in color and attach themselves to the cat’s skin and keep on swelling till they reach the size of a pea.
How Can a Cat Catch Ticks?
There are several ways through which your cat can catch ticks. The most common and the most likely reason is the interaction with other animals. Cats, when they leave the house, interact with other animals outside. This way ticks can transmit from one animal to your cat.
The best way to avoid your cat’s interaction with the outdoor animals is by avoiding putting food outside, this way the entrance of other animals in your cat’s territory can be avoided easily.
When you take your cat for a walk outside, there are chances that the ticks might get onto your clothes. These are often sitting on the top of branches and grass blades, so make sure that you dont take your cat to a place where there is an increased risk of ticks attacking them.
It should be kept in mind that these ticks getting transferred to humans can cause destruction and result in causing Lyme disease. Inflammation of the joints is observed with lameness in the legs and arms is felt.
Major Symptoms of Lyme Disease in Cats
- Difficulty in breathing
- Sensitivity to touch
- Complications in the nervous system
- Lack of appetite
- Fever
- Inflammation in the joints
- Swollen lymph nodes on the site of tick bite
- Heart complications in rare cases
Removal of Ticks from the Cat
Ticks from the cats can be removed at home by using tweezers or other tools. All the materials that you need to remove the ticks from cats are mentioned below:
- Jar or a container
- Anti-biotic ointment
- Gloves
- A treat to distract
- Tweezers or tickle removing tool
- Someone restraining cat
If you dont have the above-mentioned material available at home, then make sure that you visit a vet to get those ticks removed from your cat.
Tick Removal with Tweezers
There are certain steps that can be followed in order to remove ticks with the help of a tweezer.
- Take a container and fill it will isopropyl alcohol
- Distract the cat by showing her a treat
- Start separating the fur and find the tick
- Use the tweezer to grab the tick
- Do not press the tick too hard, hold gently and pull it out
- Take the tick and put it in isopropyl alcohol
- Apply an ointment to the bite area of the cat’s skin
Ticks Removal by Using Tick-Removing Tools
The ticks of cats can be removed easily by using a tick removal tool. This can be done easily by:
- Take a container and fill it with isopropyl alcohol
- Control your pet and distract the cat with a treat
- Separate the fur and hook the tool under the tick close to the cat’s skin
- Keep rotating the tool until the tick separates
- Lift the tick out and place it in an isopropyl alcohol solution
- Put an antibiotic ointment on the bite area on your cat’s skin
It is very important to properly dispose of the tick as they can bite you or the cat. It is always encouraged to flush the tick down the drain after it has been killed in the isopropyl solution.
Conclusion
Ticks can impact your cat’s health immensely. That is why ity is essential to get them removed from your cat’s body as soon as they get them. You can also prevent your cats by spraying tick-free sprays, and products on them from catching ticks. In case of a serious issue, make sure that you take your pet to the veterinary doctor as soon as possible.