Daphne Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 AAAh - I have just scared myself stupid by reading about the dangers of ticks to the cat and me. I can't decide if its better to wait for OH to come home this evening and for us to try to tweezer it out (I can't seem to find out what happens if we don't do it right and the head stays in) or whether I should take the cat to the vet beforehand? Does anybody have any experience/advice? The cat appears to be in no discomfort whatsoever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Please don't use tweezers as you risk squeezing the infected contents of the ticks stomach into your cat's bloodstream. Use one of these if you can't get one, then you could try it with a slot cut in an old credit/loyalty card, but the hooks are best... most vets stock them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teacake Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 I just bought one of those from our vets, cost about £4 as last summer my cat got a lot of ticks, I soaked them off in alcohol and they came out, but it wasn't easy....hope you get it out soon . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 O'Tom tick hooks are very easy to use and are good at getting them out without leaving anything behind. If you don't have one you can smear the body of the tick with vaseline which will suffocate it, it will then release hold and fall out when dead. They fall off when they have taken their fill of blood anyway but the less time they are attached, the less chance of transferring disease. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted May 6, 2011 Author Share Posted May 6, 2011 thanks all - will pop to the vet and get a hook right now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lillybettybabs Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 (edited) Tom os are good, we found one on our springer it made it very easy to get out. I then checked all the dogs after that, Found something suss on Dylan but on closer inspection it turneD out to be a nipple, Oh he didn't alf give me a funny look .... Edited May 6, 2011 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 I've done that before. Remember to check their feet - my two have saluki blood, so have webbed feet and I have found ticks between their toes before now. Because the tick excretes a sort of local anaesthetic, the dog can't feel it and won't nibble the tick off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted May 6, 2011 Author Share Posted May 6, 2011 Well I got a tick thing and it cost £3.98. Unfortunately, by the time I got home the tick had disappeared - it must have been full and dropped off. Its body was the size of a small dried pea and pale brown. This means I'm even more paranoid....where is it I wish I hadn't read what I've been reading, I've never encountered a tick before and its making me look at our wild grassland (ie the garden) in a whole new light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Sounds like it had drunk it's fill. If you regularly treat your cat with an anti-flea and tick spot on, then any critters it pick up will die anyway. All my furries are dosed monthly with Frontline Combo and wear flea collars; the cats are expert hunters and always stalking things in long grass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jools Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Living where we do, ticks are an almost year-round problem for our dogs so we use Advantix and it works a treat. There's a cat version too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Ticks are on the increase as is Lymes Disease - very nasty in humans. If you are in an area where your dogs and cats are picking them up, make sure that you check yourself too when you come in from a walk. My DD once picked a full tick up from the carpet that had fallen off the dog thinking it was a raisin - it was like one of those slow motion film clips...noooooooo! - too late, popped and blood all over her face Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuckmum6 Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Yuk! enough to put you off raisins forever!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 even I flinched at that! I always check myself carefully when I come in after walking although I usually have my trousers tucked right in. Rabbit fleas are the worst around here, especially with two hooonds who spend a lot fo time with their heads down rabbit holes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eggasperated Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 We get a big problem with ticks here as well, especially from the deer which come in the garden. I use Frontline on the dog and cats, which appears to be quite effective, although when we treated Lily (cat) last week she kept trying to lick it off and when she found she couldn't reach she went and rolled in the dirt so now has a large dirty smudge on her white neck . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Frontline is not effective against ticks as long as it is fleas so if you have a tick problem, they need doing every month - ticks will attach and die within 4 hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted May 7, 2011 Author Share Posted May 7, 2011 Much to my embarrassment...actually the tick was still there, just not quite where I thought it was. So, we used our tick hook thing and got it off (whole); the cat was very calm. However, we dropped it (the tick not the cat!) on the (long pile) tick-coloured rug, so cue many shrieks from me. I picked it up, telling OH that they don't die very easily so the best thing is to drown them in alchohol (I'd read on the internet they don't die even if you flush them down the loo!). We put it in a jar with some gin (now it was OH's turn to shriek....stop, stop thats enough ) and screwed the lid on tight. OH said it was a big tick. Its still on the windowsill We use Stronghold but I can't see that is effective against ticks either. We will have to keep a close eye on the cats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eggasperated Posted May 7, 2011 Share Posted May 7, 2011 Frontline is not effective against ticks as long as it is fleas so if you have a tick problem, they need doing every month - ticks will attach and die within 4 hours. Yes, we treat every month. I did originally use something else on the dog but as it was toxic to cats we had to keep them apart for 48 hours, which isn't really practical, so the vet recommended we swap to Frontline with the more frequent applications. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted May 7, 2011 Share Posted May 7, 2011 Much to my embarrassment...actually the tick was still there, just not quite where I thought it was. So, we used our tick hook thing and got it off (whole); the cat was very calm. However, we dropped it (the tick not the cat!) on the (long pile) tick-coloured rug, so cue many shrieks from me. I picked it up, telling OH that they don't die very easily so the best thing is to drown them in alchohol (I'd read on the internet they don't die even if you flush them down the loo!). We put it in a jar with some gin (now it was OH's turn to shriek....stop, stop thats enough ) and screwed the lid on tight. OH said it was a big tick. Its still on the windowsill We use Stronghold but I can't see that is effective against ticks either. We will have to keep a close eye on the cats. sorry daphne, but that has me especially OH worrying about the amount of gin you used! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jools Posted May 7, 2011 Share Posted May 7, 2011 Me too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkshire Pudding Posted May 9, 2011 Share Posted May 9, 2011 Our two bring them in sometimes, Stronghold doesn't kill them so I keep a Frontline spray to treat them when they come in. My friends 2- year-old daughter just had to have one removed from her scalp, she picked it up at home in the states and it was discovered after she arrived on a visit here. It was huge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted May 10, 2011 Author Share Posted May 10, 2011 OMG I take it she is OK? Rather bizarrely, I was telling a friend of mine about my experience and she told me her ex-husband has been off work all last week with Lymes Disease She lives in the SW and apparently walkers get a warning each year around this time to take care if they go out with shorts on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkshire Pudding Posted May 10, 2011 Share Posted May 10, 2011 Yes she is fine, she didn't know it was there until her dad spotted it. Hospital were v careful & checked her thoroughly, & they're keeping an eye out for Lymes-type symptoms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted May 12, 2011 Share Posted May 12, 2011 The neighbours cat had a tick last year and she freaked out when I found it + told her, so I got one of those hooks and got it off ... did the job! The gin made me too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franklyrabbit Posted May 13, 2011 Share Posted May 13, 2011 I've just read this whole thread all in one go so excuse if this has already been mentioned, but I've been told that if you smear vasilene daily all over the tick, covering it totally, it will suffocate and fall off. Mine don't seem (touch wood) to get ticks so I haven't tried it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola O Posted May 26, 2011 Share Posted May 26, 2011 I found a MAHOOOSIVE tick on my dog last night, right above her eye/eyebrow. Had to do the vaseline thing as had nothing else in the house. Freda hated having it smeared on her so promptly ran to the sofa to wipe her head over it and managed to rip the tick out . It came out with with all it's legs etc as it was wiggling them about, but can't tell if the mouth parts came out so will keep an eye that it doesn't get infected (have squidged some savlon on it this evening). Went to the vet after work to get the tick remover thingy just in case she finds another one. Nicola. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
