we went to the store got a collar and medicine and stuff, I just don't know if theres any reasons behind it... and how we can prevent that from happening again
2007-08-19 16:26:09 · 10 answers · asked by All I need is you 2 in Pets ➔ Cats
hahha well my mom says there ants, but they don't look like them , they look like fleas.
2007-08-22 13:13:41 · update #1
Ants? I'd say he rolled on the ground and just got them on by accident.
Don't use the collar, take it back. Those are notorious for not working and can have the wrong dose of pesticides in them which can hurt the cat. They're for fleas, but do a poor job of helping, and if they get wet they leech the chemicals right into the cat which stresses the organs.
Ants aren't a parasite, just brush them off, your cat's ok.
2007-08-19 17:12:06 · answer #1 · answered by Elaine M 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I take it you did not have a flea & tick collar on her before, and that she was a house cat that got out for part of a day and then came back and tahts when you saw what you saw - correct?
Altho a flea and tick collar is not a bad idea since she was out in the "Wilds" for a few hours and certainly could have picked up some ticks if the time of year was right, or fleas & other parasites if she mixed it up with some other feline freemasons during her unauthorized period of leave, it's also just as likey that she got herself mixed up with some red ants or sugar ants, (altho not fire ants).
So get some pet shampoo and rinse, (put a fine strainer screen over the drain to see if you can collect any ants or ant carcuses) as you give her a good bath then set her over a white sheet, and rub her litely dry with a white terry cloth towel til damp dry. Then get a hair dryer and clean comb & brush and comb /brush her out - using the blow dryer on med or low heat - til she is almost completely dry, (you do not want to "dry out" the natural oils in her hair. All the time keep her standing on the sheet, (do NOT let her sit down or lay down!!!!!
When done let her groom and carefully shake the towel out over the sheet. Then gather the 4 corners of the sheet, and shate the sheet tails to "gather" up any material, (fleas, mites, insects. ticks - ants - that might have been washed, combed or brushed out of her hair).
Mites & fleas look like sand. Ticks look like tiny spiders. Ants are recognizeable as small ants. Either way - she's gotten into something, and you need to figure out what. If it's ants You can go to the pet store and get a powder that will sprinkle on her coat to kill the ants if she is still crawling with them - or if her coat is really thick and tangley.
However if her coat combs out nicely, and she is not biting at her body and growling - it was probably ants and I'd just wait and see - and avoid putting any chemicals on her.
If - as she grooms you see chewing and scratching at different areas like around her ears, shoulders and flanks - then I'd go for the flea & tick collar.
How can you keep this from happening again? If it's fleas or ticks - keep her protected with a fresh flea & tick collar.
Some Vet Services across the County in conjuction with High-End Private Security Companies are offering injectable GPS Locator chips for pets, (similar to the imbeded subcutaneous ID chips used today, for locating lost or kidnapped / stolen pets. This may not keep you furry friend from running off again - but it will allow you to find him a whole lot quicker.
As of this date there are NO collars for protection against ants, scorpions or other insects, that I know of.
She can be trained to fear ants - but I recommend against it, - as you would have her scared to move outside of the house. Hope this helps, and good luck on ya.
2007-08-27 15:29:48 · answer #2 · answered by jtrall25 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Red ants isn't exactly a disease. He accedently rolled in a pile of read ants. Get a flea comb and comb him down. A bath would do him good also. He's probably already been bit and he'll avoid a patch of them again. I don't think it's anything to consult a vet about.
2007-08-19 17:08:11 · answer #3 · answered by Maxwell Vancelette 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Take the cat to the vet. Don't treat it with medicine or a flea collar. You can make the poor cat extremely sick.
Doubt that it's ants. Fleas are smaller and not red.
Please don't wait too long.
2007-08-27 14:58:54 · answer #4 · answered by Barbara M 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Are you sure it is red ants? Try getting a flea comb. To get the ants out.
2007-08-19 16:38:48 · answer #5 · answered by kittyluv 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yeah. I'd say it's fleas! If you get flea control powder or etc, bath them in a flea shampoo first, then fix em up with that. If that doesn't work, consult your vet.
2007-08-23 18:50:04 · answer #6 · answered by greyghost_84 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
like red ants....can u give me details pls..like how big they were.....cause there are probably some parasites(if they just look like ants,but they are not)....it would do lot of good if u gave her a nice bath, combing her hair, and to prevent....well there are a lot of things specially for that now
2007-08-26 02:17:48 · answer #7 · answered by Ly 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Frontline heartworm/flea/tick med that we put on her shoulders every month works really well.
TX Mom
Not a vet
2007-08-25 16:27:50 · answer #8 · answered by TX Mom 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have never heard of this before I would take it to the vet.
2007-08-19 16:33:52 · answer #9 · answered by Bingo 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i agree with what saint maxwell said,he got them on himself by accident. take him to the vet.
2007-08-25 11:44:25 · answer #10 · answered by ♥Warrior~Cats~Rock♥ 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋