Ive rescued a kitten that has been poorly treated..........?

Question

I dont know much about cats.

She has a few ticks in her fur ive noticed. Is there anything I can use to get rid of them without having to take her to the vets?

Answer 1

Put it this way - you need to get her vaccinations checked anyway, so get the ticks advised on and she can have a good check-up at the same time. If you are serious about looking after this cat, do the right thing and take her to a vet. Otherwise give it to the RSPCA or the Cat's Protection League, they'll get a vet to check it out.

Answer 2

I would recommend that you take her to the vets since you say she has been poorly treated so needs a check up - however vasaline is meant to do the job just by smearing it over the tick and wait for it to fall off dont try and pull it off as it may cause the head to remain imbedded and that will become infected and then will need a vet - however when one of my cats get a tick then the vet nurse can easily twist it off with a little gadget and probably wont charge if that is what you are worried about.

Answer 3

If she has been poorly treated she may have other things wrong with her not visible to the naked eye. Take her to the vet and make sure she is ok and he can recommend ways to help her out now and how to care of her and feed her etc. Good luck. The pay off from her love back will be well worth the vet visit. You're a good humanitarian for rescuing her. I'm proud of you!
jw

Answer 4

You can pull the tick out with a pair of tweezers.You have to get a good grip otherwise you risk leaving the head behind. Once the kitten is 12 weeks old then you can get flea and tick drops etc to keep nasty critters at bay. I'd recommend taking her to the vet anyway as they'll be able to say roughly how old she is and give her a general health check. Whilst you're there they can give you frontline drops for the fleas and ticks. Frontline may be pricey but it's the best stuff out there.

Answer 5

Awww bless - I love little kittens. It depends how old she is - I dont think you can use much on a kitten under 12 weeks. If you have a pet shop locally pop in and ask them - theres lots of stuff available over the counter now. Otherwise phone a vet - some will give advice over the phone and sell you flea/tick treatment without seeing the kitten. Good luck and well done on rescuing her xxx

Answer 6

Are they ticks or fleas, believe me there is a big difference.
Fleas can be treated with a flea spray, but ticks are another matter they need proper removal as they can leave their heads in and cause an absess.
Good on you for rescuing her but PLEASE take her to a vets, if you are in England take her too the PDSA, they do not charge a lot, and that is only if you can afford it.
Always remember any pet is going to cost you money,even if it for their jabs.

Answer 7

Take a pair of tweezers and very gently remove the ticks by grabbing them by their HEADS, closest to the skin. You can also buy a 'flea comb' at your local pet supply store. They're very cheap and they have teeth that are very close together. If she has any fleas, it will find those & get rid of them too, as well as make her feel a little better. You can clean her up a bit with just a damp paper towel or damp washcloth. Just 'pet' her with the cloth.

That should help until you take her into the vet, which I hope you'll do, to have her checked out.

You're a good person for taking in the kitten. Don't pay attention to posters that behave rudely. We need more people that ask questions. At least it shows interest and the desire to help.

Cave

Answer 8

Good on you for the rescue of her - my youngest was abandoned and starving but the affection she has now is incredible so its soooooo worth it!!!

I would reccomend taking her to the vets - she will need a thorough check up and her vaccinations - otherwise you never know what could be lurking - most commercial flea treatments are not designed for kittens, so the vet can advise you on what to do - i would also reccomend pet insurance as well.

And mostly just give her lots of love------ she deserves it!

Answer 9

A kitten is a very delicate creature as all babies are and require lots of TLC. If the kitten has been mistreated, there may be internal injuries or infections that you're not aware of. It really is best to take the kitty to a vet for a thorough checkup and get his./her advice on how to proceed. The first visit isn't that expensive. If you are concerned about the cost, take the kitty to the SPCA for a checkup.

Answer 10

Ticks are difficult to remove as they often leave their heads embedded if you try to pull them off. Some people suggest using olive oil. Personnally I wouldn't try it.

I would suggest you get your new kitty to the vet with or without ticks. They can do a thorough check to see that everything is ok, talk to you about vaccinations,neutering and other important matters. Also needs worming and de-fleaing!

The PDSA (UK) may offer the best value for money and can offer some assistance if you are on a low income.

Answer 11

Did you take the kitten to the vet in the 2 weeks you had her ? I highly recommend that after adopting ANY animal from a shelter, you take them to your vet as many animals come out of shelters with medical problems - a few private, well funded shelters vet their animals well but the large majority only do basic vaccine and little else. This is a hard situation - many small shelters do not have funds for vet care. Many of these small shelters report to town or city councils. So I would write your local aldermen about conditions at the shelter.