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Anyone who has encountered ticks on cats will understand just how difficult it can prove to effectively remove them from your pet. The fact that the head of a tick will often remain attached to the cat’s skin even once the body has been pulled off can lead to further irritation and can even cause the development of abscesses, so it’s always best to seek advice from your vet about removing ticks on cats. Because of this, it is advisable to try and prevent ticks on cats as opposed to having to deal with a problem once it arises. Below are three preventative steps that can help prevent ticks on cats.
Anti-tick preventative medication
There are various anti-tick medications that can be administered regularly which will help to prevent ticks on cats. Usually the medication will need to be administered on a monthly basis, however different treatments can vary, so read the label and follow the instructions carefully. You should always consult a vet, or other pet care specialist, before undertaking this approach.
Maintaining your garden
It is a common misconception that ticks are transferred from one cat to another through contact or close proximity. The reality is that tick eggs are laid in dense vegetation, and then they search for a host once they have hatched. This means that unkempt gardens are an ideal breeding ground for them and you can have literally hundreds of thousands of tick eggs in your garden at any one time. By making the garden a less attractive prospect to adults looking to lay eggs you can help reduce the risk of future problems. For example, you could keep lawns short, trim back bushes, keep the garden area free from leaves and tidying away fallen twigs and branches. Mind you, cats often roam (or patrol!) quite some distance and even if you take this approach your cat may well come into contact somewhere else. This reinforces the need to prevent by medication, even if your garden is very neatly manicured.
Regular checking
Although our final step isn’t a preventative measure as such; it is certainly one that should be adhered to. All cat owners should take ticks on cats seriously and should check their cats for ticks regularly. It’s a good idea to do this when you are grooming – make it part of your regular routine and your cat will become familiar with what you are doing and start to enjoy the attention! Although ticks don’t actually breed whilst attached to their host, a cat that is infested can soon become ill. By checking your cat on a regular basis you can spot a tick problem early and thus seek advice from a vet immediately.
At Pet Health Info we seek to provide a free online resource for all your pet problems, including ticks on cats. Please feel free to browse www.pethealthinfo.org.uk for more information on a wide range of pet health issues.