Ticks pose a danger not only to humans, but also to our pets. The spring-summer period is the season when ticks are active; it is at this time that the likelihood of a tick bite is high. Of course, the problem of tick attacks is much more common among dog owners, since they usually spend more time outside. However, cats can also become victims of these dangerous parasites.
If your cat has free access to the outdoors, the likelihood of picking up a tick is high.
Externally, the ixodid tick looks like a small bug; it has an elongated body measuring about 3-4 mm, eight legs and a small head. The color of the parasite can vary from various shades of brown to gray and dark gray. Externally, the attached parasite looks like a gray or brown growth. The female's armored shield covers only a third of her body, allowing it to stretch when saturated. The size of a sucked ixodid tick grows to 1.5 - 3 cm.
To bite, the tick tries to choose inconspicuous places where it would be inconvenient for the animal to scratch it and places with soft skin, makes a small incision, digs into the skin, and begins to drink blood. The most popular bite points are:
- Withers area
- Stomach
- Groin
- Armpits
- Area behind the ears
Nature has endowed the tick with an ingenious device for piercing the skin and sucking blood - these are sharp, backward-facing teeth on the proboscis of the oral cavity. The oral apparatus is fixed very firmly; with a sudden movement, the head comes off. When a tick bites, it injects a special secretion that thins the blood and has an anesthetic effect. The secretion getting into the blood, damaging the integrity of the skin, causes a reaction of the immune system, which reacts with swelling, redness, and itching. Having eaten to its fill, the bloodsucker rests, and the female dies, having previously laid eggs.
What to do if your cat is bitten by a tick
If a cat is bitten by a tick, it is necessary to determine its type, of which there are more than 1000: dust ticks, ear ticks, scabies, etc. Ixodid ticks are considered the most dangerous for cats, as they are carriers of pathogens of many diseases.
It is necessary to examine the surface of the skin to determine the extent of its penetration. It is advisable if a specialist removes the parasite, since there is a risk of leaving part of the head under the skin. Also, when the insect moves strongly, the spread of infection increases.
Most often, bloodsuckers choose to bite the groin area, behind the hind legs, ears, stomach and armpit. An attached parasite is visible to the naked eye; immediately after detection, it is advisable to isolate the cat from children, take it to the veterinarian, or try to get rid of the insect yourself.
If a cat is bitten by a tick, then at this moment the animal does not experience pain or discomfort because upon penetration the parasite releases pain-relieving enzymes. Therefore, during the active months of parasite reproduction, you should regularly examine your cat; you can run a comb against the grain and feel the vulnerable spots.
Symptoms of a bite in cats
Symptoms of a tick bite in cats do not appear immediately after detection; the animal behaves calmly, has good appetite and sleep, and the cat does not feel pain, since the parasite uses pain-relieving enzymes during its introduction.
After it has been removed from the skin, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the pet. In case of infection and infection enters the bloodstream, the disease can begin to manifest itself only after a few weeks - the incubation period of infectious diseases.
Symptoms of a tick bite in a cat that should alert you:
- urine has turned pink;
- cough, heavy breathing;
- paleness of the nasal mucous membranes;
- vomiting, bowel dysfunction;
- signs of dehydration;
- sudden weight loss;
- loss of appetite or complete refusal;
- lethargy, lack of interest in the environment;
- heat.
If one or more symptoms occur, you should contact your veterinarian to preserve the health and life of your pet.
Diagnostics
After each walk, it is necessary to inspect your pet’s body for the presence of ticks. The examination should begin with the head and neck, armpits and between the pads of the feet. After the insect has had time to drink blood, the parasite disappears on its own. Then the animal begins to itch and feel discomfort. A sign that an animal has been bitten is the presence of a reddish swelling or bump on the body.
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Important! If a tick is found, it must be removed as quickly as possible. A scraping should be taken from the bite site to prevent infection with dangerous diseases.
Consequences of a bite
Are ticks dangerous for cats? The parasite's bite itself does not threaten the health of the pet; the danger lies in the pathogens that can get from it to the animal through the bite. The Ixodid tick can cause the development of diseases such as piroplasmosis, hemorrhagic fever, typhus and encephalitis, and borreliosis.
If treatment is not started on time, the infection can affect many body systems and internal organs of your furry friend.
If a cat is bitten by a tick, the consequences, symptoms and treatment depend on the type of infection. Some diseases only affect the cat’s immune system, it becomes lethargic and apathetic, but treatment in this case is 95% effective. Other diseases may not respond to treatment and lead to the death of the pet.
How is encephalitis transmitted?
The virus enters the body along with the tick's saliva. If the dose of the virus is not large enough, and the victim’s immunity is able to fight the infection, then encephalitis may not develop.
There are different forms of tick-borne encephalitis:
- febrile
- meningeal
- focal
- chronic
After infection, a person may experience the following symptoms:
- weakness
- chills
- temperature
- headache
- nausea, vomiting
- conjunctivitis
- disturbance of consciousness and sleep
- paralysis of the muscles of the face and neck
IMPORTANT: A person can become infected with encephalitis by consuming fresh milk from a sick animal. You can also catch encephalitis through the saliva of an infected animal.
A reliable way to prevent the disease in humans is vaccination against encephalitis, which provides 95% protection. Immunization is carried out in several stages for children over 3 years of age and adults.
Vaccination against tick-borne encephalitis is included in the vaccination calendar.
What to do at home if you are bitten
If the bloodsucker has not burrowed into the pet’s skin and it is found on the fur or in the place where the cat sleeps, then it is necessary to inspect the skin. Using a comb, you need to comb the animal against the fur, push it apart with your hands and inspect the skin. Favorite places for parasites to invade are the armpits, hind legs, stomach and groin. If a bite is detected, it is necessary to treat the wound or take it to a veterinary hospital; you should monitor the cat’s health for several weeks; if deterioration occurs, you should consult a doctor.
You can get rid of the parasite as follows:
- Wear gloves on your hands, and upon completion of all manipulations, carefully perform hygiene.
- To prevent the infection from spreading faster, do not lubricate the area around the tick with oil.
- You should not pull the parasite, this will lead to further penetration of the insect's head and the spread of infection.
- The tick must be removed completely without damaging it.
- You can remove the insect using thread or tweezers. You should grab the body of the parasite and pull it out gently and without sudden movements.
- If, however, part of the tick’s head remains in the skin, there is no need to worry too much, since the cat’s body can independently reject the remaining body. This often leads to the development of a small abscess, which can be prevented by contacting a veterinarian.
Treatment is prescribed only by a veterinarian based on the test results and existing symptoms; usually, antibiotic therapy cannot be avoided. You are allowed to treat the bite site yourself at home using antiseptic drugs, with the exception of iodine and brilliant green.
Ixodid ticks in cats
A tick bite that carries piroplasmosis or encephalitis does not pose a danger to a cat, but other more dangerous diseases can develop, such as theileriosis, tularemia and hemobartonellosis. Ixodid ticks are one of the most famous types of parasites, common in many climatic zones.
Symptoms and consequences have different characteristics - it all depends on the type of pathogen. Each disease has a distinctive clinical picture and incubation period:
- Hemobartonellosis. This infectious disease causes anemia only in cats; the disease is not dangerous for humans and dogs. The infection, spreading throughout the body, settles in the lymph nodes, bone marrow, liver and spleen. The incubation period ranges from several days to three weeks. The manifestation of symptoms depends on the animal’s immune defense; with weak immunity, the disease becomes severe. The disease manifests itself in decreased appetite, rapid heartbeat, lethargy and fading of the cat, the skin is pale or yellow, and the temperature is elevated. Only an urgent visit to the veterinarian can save the life of a pet.
- Tularemia. The pathogen enters the lymph nodes through the cat’s blood, developing a purulent inflammatory process. After some time, the lesions are opened, which leads to even greater blood infection. The disease affects the spleen, liver and lungs. Tularemia manifests itself in the form of lethargy of the animal, the skin becomes yellowish, small ulcerations form on the mucous surfaces, the lymph nodes in the neck are enlarged, the animal experiences malaise and fever. If treatment is not started in time, the cat dies in a matter of time, one of the causes of death is necrosis of the tissues of the spleen, lungs and liver. This disease is dangerous to humans and is transmitted through contact.
- Theileriosis. The infection, entering the animal's blood, multiplies in the spleen, lungs, liver and lymph nodes, causing severe damage. The first symptoms appear 1–3 weeks after the tick bite: the cat becomes lethargic, the temperature rises, the skin is yellow, the cat looks thin and apathetic, and the appetite disappears. Upon examination, the veterinarian notes an increase in internal organs. The disease is difficult for cats to tolerate, and only timely treatment can save the animal’s life.
To prevent such consequences after an ixodid tick bite, it is necessary to carry out prevention, constant examination of the animal and timely treatment.
Treatment
If there is a suspicion that a cat has encephalitis, it should be placed in a hospital, where the condition of the animal and all therapeutic measures will be monitored by a veterinarian.
To relieve cerebral edema or prevent its occurrence, diuretics such as Furosemide and Veroshpiron, as well as potassium preparations, are used.
In order to reduce intoxication in the body, cats are given intravenous infusions of saline, glucose, Ringer's solution, etc.
An essential part of treatment is antibiotics that can penetrate the blood-brain barrier, and not just fight the causative bacteria. These can be Rifampicin, Cyclosporin, Ampicillin.
Important!
Glucocorticosteroids are used in the treatment of encephalitis, but they are prohibited for bacterial infections.
Phenobarbital or Diazepam are used to combat seizures, and nootropic drugs Cerebrolysin and Phenibut are used to improve brain function.
If the cat's respiratory function is impaired, an artificial respiration apparatus is installed.
In case of a successful outcome of the disease, the cat is prescribed restorative therapy, including massage, acupuncture and electrophoresis.
Can a tick fall off on its own from a cat?
Ticks and cats are a hot topic for the hot season, since it is in the summer that animals most often suffer from parasite bites. Having discovered a parasite attached to a pet, many people have a question: can the tick fall off on its own?
It is better not to wait until it detaches itself; it is necessary to remove the insect as soon as possible, since the longer the parasite is under the skin, the more infection will enter the blood. In some cases, when the tick is completely saturated with blood, it is able to fall off on its own.
Can a cat die from a tick bite?
Are ticks dangerous for cats? The parasite itself does not pose a danger to the animal if it is not the causative agent of any disease.
Can a cat die from a tick bite? With timely treatment and treatment, the animal’s health is restored without complications. If urgent measures are not taken, the animal’s body weakens in a matter of time, exhaustion and disruption of the functioning of internal organs are observed, which leads to serious consequences, including death.
Prevention methods
Only by protecting your cat from ticks can you rest assured about its health..
Ticks do not bite cats when their fur and skin are treated with preparations with a contact, repellent effect. The death of the parasite occurs after a few minutes of being on the cat’s fur. The drugs are produced in the form of drops, collars, and sprays.
Effective means:
- Leopard;
- Hearts;
- Rolf Club;
- Bolfo;
- Frontline;
- Dana ultra;
- Beafar.
Anti-tick medications do not provide 100% confidence that arthropods will not attack your cat. But even if they cling to the wool, they will most likely fall off or die.
Are ticks on a cat dangerous for humans?
If it has already been saturated with cat blood, then it poses no danger to the human body. It is worth remembering that the parasite cannot infect a cat with encephalitis, while this disease is very dangerous for humans.
Having discovered a tick on an animal, it is possible that there may be several such parasites on the pet, in which case there is a risk that the insect will move onto a person’s skin and bite him. Therefore, it is important to examine your pet for parasites while wearing protective gloves.
