Ticks can be found anywhere on a cat’s body but usually attach near the head, neck, ears and feet. If you discover one, remove it as soon after attachment as possible, says Meryl Littman, VMD, ACVIM, at the University of Pennsylvania. “Do not cover the tick with Vaseline, gasoline or anything else beforehand. And do not remove it with your bare hands — a crushed tick’s bacteria could get into your cuticles and infect you.”
The steps to removal:
– Part your cat’s fur.
– Using fine-pointed straight tweezers or a tick-removal tool, grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible.
– Draw it out slowly and steadily to remove the entire tick.
“If the tick is flat, exposure to Lyme disease is unlikely. If engorged, transmission may have occurred, but don’t panic,” says Tiva Hoshizaki, BVSc, at Cornell. “Antibodies take weeks to months to develop, so the best approach is to wait and see. If your pet shows signs such as lethargy, fever, lameness and not wanting to move, swollen glands, anorexia, vomiting or diarrhea, then take your pet to his veterinarian and let him know that your pet has been exposed to ticks.”
