how would i know if my cat had ticks?

Question

he ran away last week and came back after 2 days. Our house backs onto fields with long grass and now im scared incase he has ticks after reading some answers from my last question. How would i know. Hes not scratching alot nor does he seem in any discomfort. but id just like to know how to check to give me peace of mind. thanks

Answer 1

All you need to do is feel around your cat's skin under the fur. Just rub your finger tips all throughout his coat and if you come across any bumps anything check them. A tick that is fully engorged will be quite large, but if not, it could even resemble a small scab. Make sure to look closely. If you do find a tick, get a tweezers or even better, a clamp (like a needlenose pliers) and firmly grasp the tick as close to the head as possible, being careful not to grab your cat's skin or fur and yank the entire tick out all at once. You don't want to leave the head inside the skin so it's important to get a really good grip and pull with force. Once the tick is out clean the wound with soap and water or alcohol. SAVE THE TICK! It is important to bring the tick to your vet and have it tested for Lyme's Disease. That way you will know if you need to get your cat treatment or not. Ticks will generally bite the back, chest or underbelly although you should also check the legs, tail, and neck area.

Another thing you should be concerned about are fleas. Fleas are very easy to detect. All you need to do is check the fur on the back directly in front of your cat's tail and look for the flea dirt. If you see dirt in there, grab some up with a damp paper towel...flea dirt is filled with blood so the towel will turn red or rust colored. If that happens, you know your cat has fleas. In this case, it's time for you to get your cat a flea bath.

Answer 2

When your cat is calm, take him in your lap and pet him. While your petting him, start looking and feeling for any bumps, lumps, etc. Ticks don't cause any pain in the animal, so the cat might not really act any differently.

If you find a tick, don't panic! You just have to remove it - take a pair of tweezers and grasp the tick as close to the skin as you can and gently but firmly pull out toward you. The goal is to make sure the tick's head remains attached to the tick and NOT in the skin.

I'd recommend taking your cat to the vet to talk about a monthly application of some sort, like Frontline or Advantage ESPECIALLY if your cat has access to outdoors.

Good luck!

Answer 3

a tick is a pest that embeds itself in to the skin of your cats and draws out its blood. After a few days you will see a tick it becomes big and is white like an opal where the pest is drawing the blood. The head beds intself into the cats skin. If this hapens best thing to do is to go to the vets wgo will pull it out properly and give the cat a jab. Not too expensive. If you try doing it yourself you may break it off and leave the head in the cats skin then the cat will get an abcess and will be in pain and will cost you heck of a lot more at the vets

Answer 4

Rather than take any chances, why not daub some of the Vet distributed flea/tick preventative. That way you kill any that have attached to your cat and the ones who have gotten in your house (they'll be going for the cat when it walks by). And your cat should be protected for a month before it's time to treat it again.

My cat brought fleas in the house and, every time it rained, the eggs hatched and I had to do the cat shampoo/flea bomb think all over again. The over the counter stuff does not seem to work as well to me. But within 3 days of treating my cat, the fleas were gone and they never came back.

Good luck.

Answer 5

Good chance kitty has some ticks if it was in the tall grass. You can look thru or pet the kitty and if you feel some bumps see what it is. Look under the legs look under its tail.

Or its one heck of a job but you could get some flea and tick spray and wash the kitty. But many Cats aren't to fond of getting wet.

Answer 6

Run your hands over his body and check for any lumps or bumps, you would almost always be able to feel or see them.

Frontline spot on or spray would be the best product to use on the ticks and can be used as a precaution if you're still not sure..

Answer 7

The best way is to pet your cat...and if you feel a lump/bump...then dig through the fur to see if it is a tick....if they have attached and are full...they will be easy to find.

Removing a tick...you must get the whole tick...and it will bleed...so be prepared!

Answer 8

Once a tick gets on a cat and fills up, there's no hiding it. You can see / feel them pretty easily. Just give him a good, long, slow petting session and feel for bumps.

Answer 9

Ticks are not very small, when patting your cat try to feel for any bumps, you can separate the hairs on the body of cat, you'll probably see them.

Answer 10

Pet him.
Do you feel any bumps ?
If you do, look at the bump. Is it a scar? or a tick?
A scar? ... poor, poor kitty.
A tick? Scream really loud, then call your dad and he will either pull it off, burn it off or treat it so it dies.