These Are The Symptoms To Watch For If Your Cat's Dealing With Ticks

If you notice a small lump on your cat while petting her, you might get a little freaked out. Especially when you realize that bump is actually a tick.

But what if you never notice the tick on your cat? Are there any other symptoms of ticks on cats you should be aware of?

The Dodo reached out to Dr. Victoria Wellington, a veterinarian at Veterinary Care Group Williamsburg in New York, to learn the signs that your cat’s dealing with ticks.

Ticks are parasites that attach to an animal’s skin for days at a time to feed on their blood. Ticks can feed on humans and most animals, including cats.

There are about 850 different kinds of ticks in the world, and around 100 of these tick species can spread diseases to their hosts (aka the person or animal the tick attaches to). Luckily, tick-borne illnesses are rarer in cats than they are in dogs or people (but cats can still get them).

In most cases, you’ll first discover a tick is latched on to your cat when you’re petting her and feel a small bump. But some tick bites go undetected if a cat has a lot of fur or if the tick gets full and falls off before you’re able to find it.

If you think your cat has been exposed to a tick or was in a high-tick area (for example, if she goes outside), you can try to check for ticks proactively. Ticks are more likely to successfully bite on the head, neck and upper back of cats (especially since cats can’t exactly reach those areas while grooming), so you can check for ticks on your cat by parting her fur in these locations.

You can also catch ticks before they latch on by brushing her fur with a flea comb, especially after she goes outside or if you think you brought some inside from the outdoors.

Try this tick-removal set with a flea comb from Amazon for $9.99

Another sign that your cat’s dealing with ticks is if she’s dealing with symptoms from a tick-borne disease.

Cats are susceptible to the following tick-borne diseases:

Fortunately, cats are more resistant to the bacteria that causes Lyme disease than some other animals (like dogs or people) are. But cats can still get Lyme disease from ticks on occasion, as well as other tick-borne diseases — including hemobartonellosis, cytauxzoonosis and tularemia.

While these diseases are somewhat rare, they’re all potentially fatal for cats if not treated early enough.

Symptoms of tick-borne illness in cats can include:

If you notice any of these signs — whether or not you know your cat has been bitten by a tick — you should make an appointment with your veterinarian ASAP.

“Talk to your vet as soon as you think there may be a problem with your cat and you suspect something is wrong,” Dr. Wellington told The Dodo. “Your vet is your best resource if you think your cat is dealing with ticks.”

Ticks can be found in every region of the U.S., though some regions may have a higher likelihood of certain species of tick.

“[It] depends on the tick,” Dr. Wellington said. “Some regions have more or less, and based upon seasonal changes, ticks may be more common one year to the next. The factors are endless.”

To find out if there are ticks living in your area, your best bet is to ask your veterinarian.

While both ticks and fleas feed on the blood of their hosts, there are some key differences between the two.

For example, fleas typically will only have one host, while ticks may have multiple hosts. And fleas can infest your home pretty easily since they can jump, but ticks can’t fly or jump, so it’s tougher for them to actually get on a host in the first place.

If you do find a tick who’s latched on to your cat, you can try to remove the tick yourself at home — but it needs to be done carefully, so make sure to read through the steps below first.

You can use regular tweezers or a tick-removal tool to remove a tick from your cat.

To remove a tick with tweezers, grasp the tick against the skin and slowly but firmly pull the tick out with a twisting or arcing motion. Make sure you don’t squeeze the tick or you could cause tick body parts to break off in your cat.

You should also make sure you don’t pull the tick straight out, and instead use that arching or twisting motion. If you pull straight out, part of the tick can get stuck on your cat and cause an infection.

Try this TickCheck Premium Tick Remover Kit from Amazon for $12.95

After removing the tick, you can use a pet-safe antiseptic wipe to clean the area.

Try Pet MD antiseptic wipes from Amazon for $12.99

If you find a tick, make sure to remove it as soon as possible! The longer a tick is on your cat, the more likely it is that your cat will be infected with a tick-borne illness.

If you think you’ve removed the tick incorrectly — or your cat starts showing signs of illness — you should take your cat to the vet right away.

The best way to prevent ticks from bothering your cat is with an effective tick prevention medication.

Many flea treatments already include a tick preventative and can either come as a topical medication (a formula that’s applied to the back of your cat’s neck) or as a chewable tablet.

These medications typically need to be administered monthly. Speak to your vet about the best option for your cat, but these two brands are frequently recommended by vets:

Try Revolution Plus topical cat flea and tick treatment from Chewy for $58.99

Or try Credelio chewable flea and tick treatment from Chewy for $97.84

Keep in mind that even cats who live exclusively indoors can still get ticks — so it’s super important that your cat is on a reliable tick preventative. (And that goes for any dogs in your house, too!)

Keeping your cats and other pets on a reliable tick preventative is totally worth it and will ensure your pets stay happy, healthy and tick-free for the rest of their lives.

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