[HigginsJ]

Hi,

My cat isabel had been off her food for the past week and not really being herself. Couldnt find anything wrong with her and thought it may have been a bit of sun stroke or somethin from the warm days.

We monitored her and over the weeked we were seeing no improvement. My OH went to give her a little rub on the neck on Sunday morning and Isabel meowed in pain. I picked her up and found a tick buried into her skin about the size of a fly. I got tweezers and removed it and took her to vet this morning where they gave her the once over and applied an anti-tick treatment (name escapes me now)

The vet was saying they were very common this year and to check her regularily for them.

Between removing the tick on Sunday and today Isabel has improved already. Her appetite has picked right up and she seems more herself again. This is the 1st time she has ever had a tick.

Has anyone else had their animal bitten by ticks? Are they common. How do they pick them up. Vets saying long grass, bushes etc. but is there anyway to help prevent her coming in contact with them??

[Shhh]

Frontline tick and flea treatment every few months..

[HigginsJ]

Originally Posted by Shhh

Frontline tick and flea treatment every few months..

Thats the one she gave her this morning. Would they need to be constantly treated for ticks? She wears a flea collar for few weeks at a time on and off. Never knew tick treatment was required

[anniehoo]

Originally Posted by HigginsJ

Has anyone else had their animal bitten by ticks? Are they common. How do they pick them up. Vets saying long grass, bushes etc. but is there anyway to help prevent her coming in contact with them??

My dog used to get them all the time and are easily removed if you know the technique. The trick is to twist it very slowly so it releases its grasp (the head is the buried part). Pulling the tick off, means the head is left embedded and liable to infect then. They used to leave huge holes is my dog that i cleaned with hibiscrub to keep clean.

They're not as common on cats because they are such fastidious groomers normally, but ticks are amazing at finding the places they cant reach e.g back of the head or neck. Ticks are vectors of various diseases incl Lyme disease and an animal with a lot of ticks can become quite ill just from the blood loss alone. It couldve been a mild immune reaction that had your cat feeling unwell. Have a check once a week during the summer months but Frontline should do the trick.

[notsobusy]

Yep I've pulled countless from my two terriers this year. I found it gross at first but now it just routine. I check them every evening. I found all shapes and sizes on them. I've never seen so many before!