Cat Tick Problems

I've been delving into the world of cat flea, tick and other nasty insects and various ways to control, treat and prevent them. The common secondary problems associated with cat fleas convinced me that using an effective cat flea treatment is necessary.

In our area ticks are also a nuisance particularly during the spring, so I wanted to find out how serious ticks are to my cat's health.

I know they are ugly things that are horrible to remove and important to destroy so they do not re-attach themselves, but are they really a problem?

So far, this is what I've discovered...

My primary reason for never wanting my cat to come home with a tick again, was that they are really the most repulsive things to deal with.  They are nearly invisible initially, then swell up to great grey lumps of ick full of your cat's blood.

They are stressful to remove, you need to do it 'just so' or the body comes away leaving the head still embedded in your cat.  Oh really, give me fleas anytime, I loathe ticks.  It seems I was right to dislike these spider-like beings, but there are more reasons than I thought to ensure your cat never becomes a tick meal again:

Babesiosis

Causes lethargy, pale gums and loss of appetite.

Ehrlichiosis

High fevers and aching muscles.

Lyme Disease

Fevers, loss of appetite, lethargy, vomiting, lameness and swollen joints.

Tick Paralysis

Begins with unsteady footing and ends in paralysis.

Anapasmosis

A white blood cell infection causing fever, weight loss and seizures.

All these illnesses are serious and ongoing conditions.  The symptoms are all easily confused so if you see any sign of illness in your cat following a tick siting, or you reside in tick country make sure you let your Vet know quickly.

The reason ticks pass on so many bacterial infections is because they hang around for so long feeding.  A tick can be tapped in to the bloodstream of its host for up to ten days, giving it plenty of time to both pick up and deposit infections.

Ticks are not particularly fussy about what mammal they feed on, so all the tick borne diseases are found in other animal populations including dogs, foxes and deer and can be passed on to humans too.

Although these are of primary concern in the United States, Europe and Australia, warmer climates tend to enjoy even more additional and serious tick borne diseases which could be passed on to your pet.  Contrary to popular belief ticks thrive in urban areas as well as rural ones and all these diseases are becoming increasingly known in the United Kingdom which traditionally was not a victim of tick borne problems.

I was right, ticks are nasty.  Whatever cat flea treatment I decide on, it will have to include a tick prevention medicine too.