Are tics harmful to kittens/cats?

Question

I have found the 3 kittens i have, have got many tics and need to know if they will harm the kittens because i have heard conflicting stories... I know how to get rid of them with tweezers but is there a shampoo treatment i could buy for them?

Answer 1

If the kitten is really young and they have loads then they could become anaemic. However if they've got a only a couple it should be a problem. Problem is is that as they suck blood they could pass diseases.

Ok, that said, ticks are designed to screw/burrow their head into flesh and suck out blood, they'll get huge and when theyre full, they just let go and drop off. Because theyre designed to stay on, trying to pull them out might snap off their head parts leaving an open wound to get infected and cause a absessm depending on the colour of your kitten, you would know if youve snapped it til its gone bad.

You could try putting vaseline on them, as they breathe through their butt it'll make it hard for them to breathe and fall of, however with my cat, he just licked it off.

If you take them to the Vet they've got special treatment to get rid of them.

Answer 2

Yes tics are harmful to any animal, they suck on their blood and can make the animal feel very unwell, you can use tweezers but you have to make sure you have removed all of the tic, some people have been known to burn the tic with the end of a cigarette but you have to be careful depending on where the tic is you may burn the kitten there is a powder you can get which does a much safer job and there is a shampoo but before you do this ask the advice of a vet before you use it if the kittens are young you ghave to be very careful you could harm the kitten. Just ring up your vet or any vet and ask for advice it wont cost you a penny to ask. Always read the label before you use anything as i say if your kittens are young you could do more harm than good. As you say you are right tics are harmful they will run down your kittens you need to get them off. Dont forget to check your other animals or any animals your kittens have been plying with you really need to find the source. It may be they have been playing somewhere to have picked them up, either way they may go back to the same place and get them again.

Answer 3

They are harmful. Whilst they may carry a disease it is more because they suck blood and on a kitten that can make them very weak.
They will drop off after about 3 or 4 days but better to get them removed.
They do need completley removing and they are hard to get the bit out that holds in the skin so whilst you can buy special removers from pet places it is best to get a vet to do it. You can't buy shampoos to remove them, that is only for fleas.

One of our cats had one recently and the vet removed it for £10.

Find out also how they got them. If they have not been out yet it must be from Mum. It is quite uncommon unless you live near fields with long grass. If this is the case then it will be a recurrent thing.

Answer 4

Yes, because ticks transmit Lyme's disease which can be fatal. Apart from anything else, they're gross!

Best not to remove them, with tweezers as it's quite tricky and the mouthparts can be left behind, causing infection.

You need to buy some Frontline from your vet. Frontline treats and prevents fleas for up to 6 weeks (Frontline Plus) and ticks for 2 weeks. Take the cat the vet, the vet can remove the tick safely for you, either with a tick 'fork' or by spraying with Frontline. Then continue to use Frontline spot-on regularly to prevent ticks.

Don't bother with pet shop or supermarket treatments - often useless, sometimes harmful. No need for shampoos anyway, cat's don't like getting wet and there's no need for it.

Chalice

Answer 5

Politics is the art of being wrong. The name is based on the words Poly and Ticks, Poly meaning many, and ticks meaning blood sucking parasites. Politics therefore means many blood thirsty parasites. Basically these politics/politiks or politicians, exist to drink the blood of the citizens of a nation. There are generally three categories of politicians: liberals, moderates, and conservatives. In the economic spectrum, there are Socialists, Mixed Economy/ Social Democrats and Capitalists. Each are equally partial to the sweet, sweet fuckred liquor of the populace. Conservatives want to make all but the the richest 1% into slave laborers who are forced to build giant pyramids, whereas Liberals want to allow gays to legally marry you against your will. Moderates strike a balance between the two positions, arguing that gays can only force you into a "civil union" and that everyone should have the option of building giant pyramids. Besides these groups, other known practitioners of politics include waitresses, who are most proficient at doing so while businessmen slowly get stoned (see Piano Man.) Socialism is promoted by intellectuals, scientists and wannabe hippies who believe that they (the intellectuals) are smarter and thus should control the state, which should direct economic activity in a rational manner. The opposite of socialism is capitalism, which is promoted by businesspeople, corporations, spoiled brats and libertarian nutjobs who believe they are the most capable to run and direct society on behalf of the capitalist market, because the freedom for corporations to do as they please and the religious pursuit of profit is the very definition of freedom. Inbetween the socialists and the capitalists are the social democrats who advocate a mixed economy - a bastardized synthesized version of both of them. The liberals support this position. There are also the fascists, who believe war, glory and the nation are most important. They typically consist of people who have not accomplished anything of their own, so take pride in their nation, "race" or megalomaniac leader. Politics exists in many countries however the most exciting varieties exist only in the United States, where it is sometimes referred to as 'snuff' politics due to the amount of Bush and Gore it contains. There is only 1 polit-rule. The politician lies when he moves mouth.

Answer 6

yes, they can be lethal if the kittens are tiny and have too many. Ticks spread lime disease, and here in Australia there is tick paralysis that can kill dogs, no doubt kittens too. Pop along to your vet if you can; or use Vaseline to suffocate the ticks, then pull them out in 30 mins or so - but be sure to get all of it out, or it may cause an infection

Answer 7

If ticks aren't removed properly so that all off them come out any residual part of the bits that hook them on to the cat's skin can potentially become infected. Wipe the little horrors with methylated spirits before you pull. You are more likely to remove them whole.

Answer 8

They are not harmful to them unless the tick is a carrier of lyme disease which is very rare. Go to petco or petsmart they both have flea and tick shampoo and other things that you can put on the cats monthly to help with them. Good luck!!!

Answer 9

yes, they are harmful because they suck blood and feast on the body. I would take them to the vet and get them removed.

Answer 10

Yes, Yes they are. Hope thiis helps and have a great day! -question001