Is this a tick on my cat?

Question

I think my cat has a tick, but I'm not sure. She's an indoor cat, and she did have fleas, but now I've found something on/just above her vulva that looks like a flea, but it looks like it's tangled in her fur, and didn't move when i touched it with a pencil. The reasona I think it might be a tick is because it's positioned with it's hed down, sticking right out of her fur, and doesn't move, but it isn't grey, it's a reddish brown, it isn't really bigger than a flea, and I can't find anymore anywhere on her.

Answer 1

Might be a tick, might not, hard to say without seeing! They're not always grey, sometimes they're brown/red. They don't move when you touch them because they're attached, They do tend to flatten fur down though, rather than get tangled in it. Here are some pictures:
http://www.unbc.ca/nlui/wildlife_diseases_bc/ticks.jpg
http://www.southsomerset.gov.uk/media/image/q/k/tick1_1.jpg

If you just use Frontline (a flea and tick treatment) it will fall off anyway, so you won't have to find out.

Chalice

Answer 2

Hmmm... Reddish brown would be consistent with a male tick but the size is wrong. Have you tried to touch it's butt with something narrow and hot? Get a coat hanger and straighten out the hanging end. Grab up your kitty and light a candle next to your favorite chair. Put the end of the hanger in the flame until it gets hot. When you think its hot enough touch the bugs butt with the tip of the hanger and see what happens. If it's a live bug it'll back right on out of there. If it's dead of course nothing will happen and at this point you can remove it with a pair of tweezers. Either way, clean the wound with a little alcohol.

Meow!

Answer 3

It sounds like it could be a brown dog tick. Go to this link to teach you how to remove it. You should "Frontline Plus" your cat every month. It's easy to use and is a once a month application. It will keep fleas and ticks at bay.
http://www.lisashea.com/petinfo/cats/health/tick.html

Hope this helps you out.

Answer 4

You get different kinds of ticks, and the one you described is a nasty one I know from Africa.
You want to get rid of it, head and all, if you are having problems, take methylated spirits and put a few drops onto it';s head before trying to remove it. It;'s much smaller than a grey tick.

Answer 5

doesn't sound like a tick from the description, though it's actions do...

.. maybe a mite, or a chigger.

try googling chigger, and see if that's what u think it might be.

Answer 6

i thought my dog had a tick and my vets were happy for me to bring it to them so they could check. they didnt charge cos its a 1 sec job!