What to do and how to treat a tick in a cat or cat

Description of the parasite and its varieties

Ticks (Acari - lat.) Belong to small arthropods of the arachnid subclass. The main diet of their food: decaying organic matter, vegetable juices and small counterparts. Habitat: grass, leaves of shrubs and trees, buds, the skin of animals and birds, where they find food in the form of blood, lymph and epithelium particles.

Interesting!

Not all pet owners know that ticks in cats are not only those that can cling to wool in the forest or on the street, but also subcutaneous, living in the upper layers of the epidermis or in the auditory canal. Therefore, it is necessary to talk about all the diversity of the species, of which there are more than 1000 in the world.

The most common types of ticks in cats and cats:

• Ixodes or forest vectors that may be carriers of infectious diseases;
• subcutaneous or scabies, causing various diseases of the epidermis;
• ear, settling in the ear canal of a cat or cat.

Tick ​​infestation

Blood-sucking parasites live on the ground and in the grass, as well as wild and domestic animals, so the cat can catch the tick in various ways:

• while walking on the street, in the park or the forest;
• when dealing with a sick animal;
• through contaminated objects: dishes, a rug, etc .;
• from its own owner, who can bring the "bloodsucker" to the house on her clothes.

Even domestic cats that have never been on the street can become infected with such parasites. Signs of a tick in a cat manifest in a change in his behavior and general health, so the owner must periodically inspect his pet for the presence of parasites in the hair, ears and other parts of the body.

Important!

The danger for the animal after the attack of the “bloodsuckers” is that they not only cause trouble, clinging to the skin and sucking the blood, but also often are carriers of infections, causing serious illness in pets.

Tick ​​at the cat

Subcutaneous mites

Demodexes or hair mites live in a small amount in the upper layers of the skin and follicles at the base of the hair in the areas of minimal pubescence: head, paws, neck, places around the eyes.Parasites feed on dead epidermis particles and can exist for many years without causing any harm to the animal.

Initially, Demodex was called a ciliary or ocular tick, which parasitized livestock, and then switched to pets and humans. This name was given for the fact that the parasites affect not only the skin, but also settle on the eyelashes near the eyes.

Signs of the disease manifest themselves only during the period of immunity decrease in the pet in the form of the following symptoms:

• the animal is nervous because of a strong itch, constantly trying to itch;
• on the affected areas, the coat becomes thin, baldness is possible;
• on the skin appear scratching to the blood, crusts, vesicles with pus.

Diseases caused by subcutaneous mites and their symptoms:

1. Demodecosis - affects the upper layers of the skin, causing persistent itching and allergic reactions, degeneration and scars on the surface of the epidermis.
2. Feline scabies or notohedrosis is manifested by the formation of sores on the skin and large fistulas that begin in the head zone and then spread down the body, leading to severe itching and baldness.Ring mites can be transmitted to humans and other animals.
3. Hayletiellosis (dandruff walking) - looks like a copious dandruff with a mass of microscopic mites, when moving which creates the impression of stirring (hence the name). Its signs are scaly nodules on the skin of the back, hair loss. The disease is contagious to humans.
4. Sarcoptosis or scabies is itchy - first manifested on a cat's face, then affects the whole body, expressed in the formation of scabs and crusts, which is accompanied by intolerable itching. Sarkoptoid mites in cats are intradermal parasites, infection occurs through objects and in contact with sick animals.

Having determined the presence of subcutaneous mites by the characteristic symptoms, the treatment is carried out only after a correct diagnosis and tests made in the veterinary clinic. Usually, scrapings of the affected epithelium are taken to accurately determine the type of parasite.

On a note!

Treatment depends on the severity of the manifestation of the disease: lighter forms are often self-cured by improving the immunity of the pet after proper nutrition and caring.

Preparations for the treatment of diseases caused by ticks

If the disease is started, then the following procedures are used to cure:

1. Baths with keratological shampoos.
2. Hair is trimmed in damaged areas and then treated with acaricidal preparations: Fungin ointments and drops (cost of the solution is 150-160 rubles, spray about 300 rubles), Iruksovetin (price 370-400 rubles), Safroderm, Amitrazin.
3. Treat bacterial complications in a course of antibiotics prescribed by a doctor.
4. Vitamin preparations and supplements: Ligfol is a preparation for stimulating the regenerative processes in the organism of animals, improving immunity, accelerating wound healing (the price per 100 ml is about 1800 rubles).
5. For the treatment of fungal infections, ivermectin is prescribed subcutaneously. The price of the drug and its analogs depends on the volume of fluid for injection and ranges from 200 to 1500 rubles.
6. Be sure to carry out the treatment of all animals that have been in contact with the sick.
7. Quarantine sick cats lasts 30 days.
8. Disinfection of the premises and items of care with the help of an acaricidal solution (Delta Zone, etc.) is carried out.

Ear mite cat

Otodekoz or ear scabs is caused by a microscopic mite Notoedres cati settling in the ear canal of a cat.The main symptoms of the disease: the animal feels discomfort, anxiety, shakes his head and combs his ears.

On a note!

In the study of the auditory canal, dried brown crusts are visible, which are the product of the vital activity of a large number of ear cat ticks, and there is also a characteristic odor.

With the timely detection of the disease, the treatment of ticks in cats at home is as follows:

1. Mechanical cleaning and removal of crusts from the ears of a pet with the use of disinfecting solutions: Furacilin, Camphor alcohol, diluted hydrogen peroxide.
2. Immunomodulatory drugs and vitamins.
3. Instillation of medical drops into the ear canal of a cat followed by massaging to distribute them to the auricle: Tsipam (price 140-150 rubles), Otoferonol (90-110 rubles).
4. Some veterinarians prescribe a one-time injection to a cat from ticks in the form of an injection of Ivermek (the price depends on the packing of the medicine - from 90 rubles), which has an anthelmintic and arachno-entomocidal effect, causing a quick healing effect, for cats it is necessary to adjust the dosage based on the weight: 0.1 ml per 5 kg.
5. Treatment of skin with Wilkinson ointment (price about 40 rubles) on an acaricidal basis.

Drugs for the treatment of ticks

The fight against the ear mite is usually long and lasts about a month, but even when the main symptoms go away, the procedure should be continued for another week.

Important!

For the entire period of treatment to facilitate care and in order to prevent scratching the ears, you should wear a special collar on the cat, which will help speed up the healing process.

When a disease is neglected, not only the ear shell and the eardrum can be affected, but also the meninges, progresses otitis media with purulent secretions, which will have a negative effect on hearing and can cause death of the animal.

Traditional methods of treatment of ear mite in cats are used at the initial stage of the disease in the absence of strong scratching. To purify the auditory canals, you can apply herbal extracts according to the following recipes:

• tincture of green tea is prepared from 2 tsp. large leaf dry mass in a glass of boiling water, after cooling down instilled 2-3 drops. in both ears for 30-45 days;
• almond oil - will be applied after cleaning: drip make massaging each ear;
• ointment of 3 tbsp. lvegetable oil and ½ clove of garlic are used for daily lubrication of the cat's ear canals, but in rare cases it can cause allergies.

Ixodic tick: how it looks and how to remove

Ixodic tick

These parasites are most common in the warm season from spring to early autumn. The size of the forest mite is 3-4 mm; it looks like a small gray-brown spider with a chitinous shell. When hit on the wool, it does not immediately dig into the skin, but can crawl for 2-3 hours, choosing the right place for a “lunch”. Therefore, a hungry gray or white tick can be seen between the hairs when it is in search and try to catch it.

After suction and blood saturation, the parasite dramatically increases to 1.5 cm and acquires a red-brown or gray body tint, as can be seen in the cat's tick photo.

Animals can easily “pick up” parasites while walking in the park, where there are various plants. Most often, the "bloodsuckers" stick in places that are inaccessible to the cat, which is why she cannot take them off herself: on the neck, stomach, behind the ears, on the withers, in the groin and in the armpits.

On a note!

The maximum activity of ixodic ticks: spring and autumn, it is during this period they are hungry and angry.

The tick mouthparts contain the proboscis, with which it pierces the skin and firmly seizes it, injecting anesthetic saliva. The cat does not feel the moment of bite, and only after a few hours, and sometimes days, it can be detected. The longer the parasite drinks blood, the more and the harder it is to remove it.

The danger of Ixodic tick bites for animals is their ability to tolerate severe viral infections that penetrate the saliva injected under the skin.

Dangerous infections and possible consequences:

• Pyroplasmosis causes a decrease of red blood cells in the blood, which leads to intoxication of the body of a sick pet, which is manifested in an increase in temperature, lethargy, refusal to eat, and death is possible without timely treatment.
• Hemobartonellosis is a form of infectious anemia that causes chronic disease of the internal organs.
• Tayleriosis or hesporidiosis - affects the circulatory system, causing hemorrhages, which can lead to blockage of blood vessels and the death of a pet.
• Tularemia - leads to lymph damage, intoxication and blood infection, can be fatal.
• Ticks also spread helminth eggs, which enter the body of the animal through saliva.

What to do if a cat has a tick

Tick ​​at the cat

It is easiest to find the “bloodsucker” among the cat's fur when the mite has attached itself to the skin and has increased in size. Then it must be removed as soon as possible to try to avoid infection.

Tick ​​extraction rules:

1. The owner should wear rubber gloves to avoid direct contact, after the procedure, wash your hands.
2. Do not drip on the parasite oil, so as not to accelerate the spread of infection.
3. It is necessary to remove the ixodic tick from the cat entirely, for which use special tweezers Tick Twister, which capture the parasite, and then unscrew it by turning it clockwise.
4. The use of a twisting thread can break or damage the tick.
5. If the parasite's head remains under the skin, then the wound should be treated with an antiseptic to avoid infection.
6. If you suspect infection: tick, putting in a glass container, you can take it to a laboratory or clinic for analysis of infection.
7. To destroy the parasite pulled out put in a jar with alcohol, and not crush, because.they are very tenacious, and even after flushing down the toilet can survive, thanks to the "air bag".

What to do after removal

The probability of infection of a pet after a tick bite is much lower than that of dogs. Symptoms of the onset of cat disease from ticks can appear within 2-3 weeks, so it is necessary during the incubation period to closely monitor the pet and its condition.

Important!

Special attention should be exercised if ticks were found in a kitten, in which a strong negative reaction of the body from unformed immunity is possible.

Negative symptoms include: high body temperature in a cat or cat, apathy, loss of appetite, emaciation, diarrhea or vomiting, cough, shortness of breath, pink urine.

If there are signs indicating infection, you should immediately contact a veterinary clinic, where, after diagnosis and testing, the doctor will prescribe the appropriate treatment. Its effectiveness depends on early diagnosis, the severity of the disease, the state of the cat's body, the effectiveness of the action of drugs.

Prevention and protection of cats against ticks

Tick ​​Protection Products

Protecting a completely pet that regularly walks on the street is almost impossible. Vaccination against parasites also does not exist, because they do not belong to microbes. The only measure is the use of insect-acaricidal drugs, which are added to sprays, drops, collars and shampoos for pets.

Fighting ticks in cats requires various methods, trying to prevent their attack and reduce the risk of bites:

• Put on a walking cat a special collar from ticks and fleas, which by its smell deters parasites.
• The safest and most effective way is to use droplets designed to kill ticks caught in cat hair. They are sold in ampoules and applied to the skin and protect the cat for 1-3 months: Frontline, Advantics, Stronghold, etc.

Although such tools do not provide a 100% guarantee, however, their use in cats and cats for the period from late spring to early autumn will avoid the attack of “bloodsuckers”, and therefore the likely infection with infectious diseases.