Cat Ticks, Mites and
Safe use of Pesticide

Ticks
Particularly in rural areas, cats can get ticks when walking through tall grass. The tick buries its head deep into the cat’s skin, where it feeds on its blood.

• Symptoms: a tick that has fed looks like a grayish-blue pimple and, since it doesn’t move, it is often confused with a tumor or cyst. An infestation can cause anemia. In Australia, certain ticks secrete a toxin which causes paralysis.
• Treatment: don’t try to pull the tick off because the head can stay imbedded and cause a abscess. A simple remedy consists on covering it with petroleum jelly and leaving it. The tick will die of suffocation and fall off, with its mouth intact, in twenty-four hours. Also use it with flea spray.

Mites
The minute parasites cause itching and hair loss.

• Skin mites (also known as “walking dandruff“): are very contagious and look like dandruff on the cat’s back.
• Harvest mites or “chiggers”: are seen in autumn and look like red spots between the tows or in the folds of the ears.
• Treatment: apply fleas spray on your cat.

Lice
Are less common than fleas and usually affect rural cats.

• Symptoms: ticks are insects the size of the head of a needle, light gray and slow moving. You can also see the transparent eggs, which are firmly attached to the cat’s fur.
• Treatment: flea spray kills adult ticks, but not eggs. Spray your cat once a week for three weeks to kill young tucks while they incubate. Since eggs stay on the cat, it isn’t necessary to spray the whole house as with a flea infestation.

Safe Use of Pesticides around Cats
Cats are susceptible to the toxic effects of insecticides because of their grooming habits.

• Ÿ Always follow instructions carefully when using any kind of flea treatment.
• Ÿ Make sure the product is safe for use with kittens.
• Ÿ Only one kind of insecticide should be used on the cat at one time. For example, don’t use a spray and a flea collar at the same time.
• Ÿ Never use a home or dog spray on your cat because you can poison it.
• Ÿ Avoid spraying your cat while it is being treated for parasites because both treatment can become toxic, also avoid doing so for a few days after getting general anesthesia.
• Ÿ Cover fish tanks and remove bird cages, food and water bowls when spraying the room for fleas.
• Ÿ Keep children away from treated animals until the fur has dried.
• Ÿ Consult your veterinarian immediately if your cat shows a bad reaction to the flea product, such as convulsion or excessive salivation.

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