Tick Infestations in Cats – Causes and Treatment Options

Tick infestations in cats can be a serious health concern. Various tick-borne diseases can be transmitted to cats via the bite of single or multiple ticks.

Tick-borne diseases can lead to a wide range of symptoms, including fever, joint pain, lethargy, decreased appetite, and rash or welts around the tick bite. If your cat exhibits these symptoms, you should seek veterinary attention as soon as possible.

Causes

While dogs are often diagnosed with Lyme disease and other tick-transmitted diseases, cats can also be infected. They can also bring ticks into the house and transmit them to family members.

Ticks are parasites that live in the grass, shrubs, and other vegetation that cats like to explore. They crawl onto the host’s body and feed on blood until they reach the next stage of development (nymph, larvae, or adult).

Because cats can spend so much time outdoors in tick-prone areas, it’s essential to keep Fluffy indoors as much as possible. If he or she must go outside, you can minimize exposure to wooded areas and tall grass by using an effective tick control product.

Fortunately, there are many safe and effective products available to protect your cat from ticks and their diseases. Biospot(r), Frontline(r), EasySpot, and EFFIPRO Topical Solution for Cats (fipronil) are just a few of the options.

Symptoms

Ticks are small, eight-legged parasites that live in woodlands and grassy areas where cats go for long periods. Once they attach to a cat’s skin, they feed on its blood. They remain attached until the blood is full, then they drop off.

Tick infestations can cause severe illness and discomfort in cats and even lead to death if they are left untreated. They can also spread Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

To help prevent tick infestations, check your cat’s body regularly for a tick using a fine-toothed flea comb. Then, use a cat tick treatment to remove any that are found.

Diagnosis

Ticks feed on blood and need to find a host before reproducing. These tiny biting parasites are capable of spreading disease, so locating, identifying, and removing ticks is essential for your pet’s health.

A quick look through your cat’s coat with a comb will show you whether she has ticks and how many of them. Ticks are small, oval-shaped arachnids with a rounded bodies and eight outstretched legs.

They start life as larvae and nymphs, then grow into adults that must ingest blood to reproduce. Their bodies swell as they fill with blood, and a red or purple spot can appear on your cat’s skin when a tick has bitten her.

Tick-borne diseases are very serious, so it is best to be proactive and prevent your cat from being bitten by ticks. Various tick prevention options are available, including collars and topical spot-on treatments.

Treatment

Ticks need to feed on blood to move through their life cycles. As a result, ticks can carry many diseases that infect humans and other animals.

In their nymph and adult stages, ticks crawl onto an animal’s body and pierce its skin to begin feeding. Once attached, the parasites can transfer these disease-causing microbes to their host.

There are some treatment options available for tick infestations in cats. Most of these treatments work by preventing ticks from attaching to a cat in the first place.

These treatment methods are adequate but not without some risks and side effects. A popular preventative is a tick collar. These are typically used for outdoor cats and protect the pet’s neck and head. They also may cause discomfort to the cat, so it’s essential to read the directions carefully.