How to remove a tick from a cat at home and what to do after removing the parasite

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Most often, animals that are regularly on the run suffer from tick attacks. However, fully domestic cats are at risk of being bitten by parasites. Parasites themselves are not dangerous, but they often become the cause of infection with deadly viruses. In this regard, every breeder should know how to remove a stuck tick from a cat at home.

Content

What does a tick look like
When are ticks most active?
How dangerous is a tick for an animal
Can an animal pick up a tick without walking
Signs of a tick bite in a cat
Ways to detect ticks in cats
How to get a tick out of a cat: step by step instructions
What to do next
Removing a tick from a kitten is more difficult or not
What you can not do prohibited means to remove the parasite
Prevention of tick attacks

What does a tick look like

Dangerous infectious diseases are carried by ixodid ticks. These parasites belong to the class of arachnids. External signs of bloodsuckers:

oval brown body up to 4 mm in size;
if the tick is saturated with blood, its size increases by 10-15 mm. the body acquires a grayish tint;

4 pairs of paws;
dense shield on the back;
the head is equipped with a proboscis with spikes directed towards the calf.

Ticks: photo.

When are ticks most active?

Parasites hibernate in fallen leaves and upper soil layers. Therefore, their activity begins when the air temperature becomes positive, as a rule, this happens in late March or early April. The greatest activity of iscods is observed when the average daily temperature is +10-15 degrees. Also, parasites love wet weather.

Became the prey of a tick?

Yes, it happened No, fortunately

How dangerous is a tick for an animal

As mentioned above, the bite itself does not pose any danger to the animal. However, the parasite can be infected with a virus that threatens the health and life of the cat. Ixodids are carriers of the following diseases that are dangerous to cats:

hemabartonellosis - the virus attacks red blood cells, resulting in anemia;
piroplasmosis - the disease is caused by intracellular parasites, is deadly for a cat;
Lyme disease - affects the joints and internal organs of the animal.

Bacteria and viruses are contained in the saliva and intestines of the bloodsucker, if the attached parasite is not removed in time, most likely the cat will be infected.

How to quickly remove a tick from a cat.

Watch this video on YouTube

Can an animal pick up a tick without walking

There is a risk for domestic cats as well. A person can bring an insect into the house on clothes or shoes, various ammunition after a walk in the forest. Also, the parasite can enter the house on the hair of other pets.

Signs of a tick bite in a cat

It also happens that the bite went unnoticed. The fact is that when bitten, a bloodsucker secretes a special secret that has analgesic properties, so the animal may not experience discomfort. The owner should be alert for the following symptoms:

sudden loss of appetite, refusal to eat;
decreased activity, lack of interest in what is happening around;

disorders of the gastrointestinal tract: vomiting, diarrhea;
discoloration of urine;
discoloration of mucous membranes.

If these symptoms appear, it is recommended to immediately consult a veterinarian to rule out infectious diseases that ixodids carry.

Ways to detect ticks in cats

Inspection of animals that are on the street should be done regularly. Most often, bloodsuckers choose the following places on the cat's body for a bite:

ears and area behind the ears;
chest and neck;

stomach;
inner thighs.

It is necessary to start the inspection from these areas. The search is done slowly, pushing the hair apart with his hands. It should be remembered that the parasite is small in size, so it is not easy to detect it. If it was possible to find a bloodsucker, the search should not be stopped - there may be more than one on the cat's body.

If the sucking tick was not found, it is necessary to look for insects on the wool. To do this, it is recommended to put the cat on a large piece of white paper or cloth and comb its hair with a fine comb. A parasite that has fallen out of the wool will not go unnoticed on a white surface.

How to get a tick out of a cat: step by step instructions

If you find a stuck parasite, it is better to contact a medical institution: specialists will remove the insect quickly and painlessly. If this is not possible, you will have to act on your own. The main thing is to act quickly and according to instructions.

Prepare

Before the procedure, you need to prepare everything you need. To extract the pest at home you will need:

antiseptic solutions - special products from a pharmacy or an alcohol solution:
rubber medical gloves;
a container with a tight lid and a piece of damp cotton wool;
special tools (more on them below).

In addition, it is recommended to cut the cat's hair at the site of the bite.

Cat fixation

Cats do not like to be manipulated and will not like the tick removal procedure. But if the animal twitches or breaks out at the wrong moment, the consequences can be unpleasant: the head of the parasite will remain under the skin or it will be crushed, which will cause infection to both the cat and the person.

Therefore, before the procedure, it is recommended to fix the cat: wrap it in a sheet or towel. It is desirable that at least 2 people carry out the manipulation: one holds the animal, the second removes the parasite.

A tick in a cat: how to pull it out using different devices

There are several ways to get a bloodsucker out of the body of an animal - with the help of special devices and improvised materials. More details about them are given below.

How to get a tick from a cat with your hands

This method is not safe, as it is very easy to crush the parasite in the process. The method is recommended to be used only in cases where there are no suitable tools at hand. Before manipulation, it is necessary to treat the hands with an antiseptic and wrap the thumb and forefinger with gauze. It is necessary to grab the insect with your fingers so that it does not slip out and carefully, without strong pressure, turn it several times, and then remove it from the skin.

With the help of a thread

Make a loop from the thread and throw it over the body of the parasite. Next, you need to tighten the thread, but not too much, so as not to break the covers of the tick and crush it. Hold the ends of the thread so that they are directed in different directions and turn the parasite, then carefully pull it out.

With tweezers

For this, tweezers with pointed edges, slightly curved inward, are suitable. The insect must be grabbed as close as possible to the bite site, turned several times in one direction, then pulled towards you and gently, without sudden movements, pulled out.

With a syringe

It is necessary to cut off the end of the syringe with the place where the needle is inserted. Place the syringe so that it fits snugly against the skin of the animal. At this point, the tool piston should be lowered. Next, you need to pull the piston: the insect will come out of the skin, rising with it.

Hook tick twister uniclean

The device in appearance and according to the principle of action resembles a nail puller. On the one hand, the hook has a gap between the protruding elements. That is where the insect should be placed. After that, the tool is turned, the tick weakens its grip and it is removed quickly and without consequences.

With trix tix lasso loop

The tool looks like a ballpoint pen. When the button is pressed, a loop appears in its upper part, with the help of which the pest is removed. As soon as the parasite is caught in the loop, the button is released and it is securely fixed. After that, you should turn the insect and carefully remove it from the skin.

With protick plate

The tool is a flat fixture with a slot on one side. The principle of operation of the plate is the same as that of the hook: the insect is placed in the slot, rotated and carefully removed.

With a special pharmacy clamp

A special pharmacy clamp is sold complete with a test tube for transporting the parasite to the laboratory. The tool is somewhat more complicated than the devices described above, but the principle of operation is similar to that of a hook.

With a hot needle prick

This method is exclusively popular. It is necessary to heat an ordinary needle and stick it into the body of the tick. It is believed that this will cause his death and he will fall off himself. This will indeed cause the death of the parasite, however, at this point, its saliva will be released, which will increase the likelihood of infection.

With tobacco dust

Another folk method of getting rid of a stuck pest. The parasite is cauterized with hot ashes. The method has several significant drawbacks: painful for the animal, the tick can dig even deeper. But even if he dies at that moment, this will cause the release of his saliva into the wound, which, as mentioned above, increases the likelihood of infection.

With the help of insecticide drops

The method is effective if it has sucked recently. It is necessary to apply a few insecticidal drops to the bite site. After 20-30 minutes, the parasite will fall off by itself.

With the twisting technique

The twisting technique allows you to gently pull out the pest so that its head does not remain under the skin. Grab the parasite as close to the skin as possible, turn its body in one direction until its head comes out. The principle of twisting is based on the fact that in the process of turning the body, the notches on the proboscis of the bloodsucker change their position, as a result of which it disappears.

How to pull out depending on the location of the parasite

Further in more detail about there, how to extract a tick from different parts of the body of an animal.

How to remove a tick from a cat's ear	If the parasite has made its way not too deep into the ear, it can be removed using any of the above tools using the twisting method. Pests that have penetrated too deep into the ear should only be removed in medical facilities, as there is a high risk of injury to the hearing organs.
How to properly remove a tick from a cat under the eye	The process of extracting the pest from the area under the eye also does not have specific features. However, when carrying out such manipulation, it is necessary to be extra careful: the cat may twitch, as a result of which the instrument may injure the eye. In addition, antiseptic agents should not be allowed to enter the eyes.
The cat has a tick on its neck: how to pull it out	To remove the arachnid on the neck, you can choose any of the above methods. But it is more convenient to do this with a lasso loop or hook. Before starting the procedure, it is necessary to cut the hair at the site of the bite.

What to do if a cat's head remains in the wound

This situation can occur when making sudden movements during the procedure or if you act with your bare hands.

In fact, there will most likely not be serious consequences.

It is necessary to regularly treat the bite site with an antiseptic and after a while the body itself will reject the foreign body. If suppuration occurs at the site of the wound, the color of the skin has changed, you should seek help from a veterinarian.

What to do next

The next steps are simple.

Put the tick in the container

The removed pest must be placed in a container with a tight lid or a test tube. If the insect is dead, place a piece of wet cotton wool in the shipping container.

Treat the bite site

After removal, the wound must be treated with any antiseptic. During the day, you need to carefully monitor the bite site - if it turns red or festered, you need to seek help from a doctor.

Deliver to the laboratory

The tick must be delivered to a special laboratory for analysis in order to identify its infection. This must be done within 2 days after the bite.

Removing a tick from a kitten is more difficult or not

The process of removing a bloodsucker from the body of a kitten is no more difficult than that of an adult cat. The only caveat: you need to pull it out carefully so as not to damage the delicate skin. But infectious diseases that an animal can become infected with are much more difficult for kittens, since their immunity is not yet sufficiently formed.

Ticks on cats.

What you can not do prohibited means to remove the parasite

Many owners make serious mistakes in trying to get rid of the tick as quickly as possible and use illegal means to remove it. These methods include:

cauterization with an open fire or cigarette;
gasoline, kerosene, acetone;

butter;
an attempt to crush or destroy by another method on the skin of a pet.

Such actions may not only not help to remove the tick, but also increase the risk of infection, and can seriously harm the health of the cat.

Prevention of tick attacks

It is much easier to carry out preventive measures than to deal with the consequences of a tick bite. Currently, the market offers a wide range of products for the prevention of attacks of bloodsuckers.

Collars	Preventive collars for animals are impregnated with special substances based on essential oils and acaricides. The accessory repels insects, but if the tick has already attacked, it will not work to remove it with the help of a collar. Collars are recommended to be worn no longer than 3-5 months.
Sprays	Sprays carefully treat all the hair of the animal and allow it to dry. In the process of processing, it is necessary to protect the mucous membranes of the animal, to prevent the drug from licking. Means have a prolonged action and reliably protect against the attack of parasites.
Drops	Drops at the withers are considered the most effective method for preventing tick attacks. Active substances have an acaricidal effect, accumulate in the sebaceous glands and spread throughout the body.
Are there tick pills for cats and kittens	Yes, there are such drugs. The active substance of the drug enters the blood of the dog. When bitten, a tick receives a portion of a deadly substance for it and immediately dies, not having time to bring the virus into the cat's body.

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