Ticks & Tick-borne Illness

Ticks are eight-legged arachnids — relatives of spiders and mites — that survive by feeding on the blood of mammals and birds. They are less of a problem for cats than fleas, partly because cats are such fastidious groomers, but outdoor cats, hunters, and cats in rural or wooded areas do pick them up, particularly during the warmer months.

A tick climbs to the tip of a grass blade or leaf and waits with its front legs outstretched — a behaviour called "questing" — ready to grab onto any warm body brushing past. Once aboard, it finds a sheltered patch of skin, usually around the head, ears, neck, or feet, buries its mouthparts, and begins to feed. Over hours to days it swells from a tiny speck to a grey, bean-sized lump, which is often the first thing an owner notices.

The bite itself is usually harmless, but ticks can act as tiny syringes, injecting disease-causing organisms as they feed. In cats the most serious of these is cytauxzoonosis, a frequently fatal blood parasite spread by ticks in parts of North America. Others include mycoplasma infections that destroy red blood cells. The longer a tick stays attached, the greater the chance of disease transmission, which is why prompt, correct removal matters.

Removing a tick well is a skill worth learning: grasp it as close to the cat's skin as possible with a tick hook or fine-tipped tweezers, and pull straight out with slow, steady force. Do not twist, squeeze the body, or try to make it "back out" with heat or alcohol — these can make the tick regurgitate infected material into the wound. The single most important safety point for cat owners is never to reach for a dog's tick or flea treatment: many contain permethrin, which dogs tolerate but which is a potent, potentially lethal poison to cats.