Tick Removal Tips for Your Cat

Tick check and removal
Ticks are easily picked up when outdoors. After outings, be sure to conduct a thorough “tick check” to ensure that no ticks have latched onto your cat. If you find a tick on your cat that has started to bite, quick removal is important. Follow these steps for tick removal:

• Use tweezers to carefully grab the tick at the surface of the skin where it is attached.
• It is best to use slow, steady pressure to pull the tick straight out.
• Do not squeeze the body of the tick as this will push saliva into the bite wound. The less time a tick is attached to you or your cat, the less likely any disease organism it might carry will be transferred.
• If a biting tick is removed, it is best to bring it to your veterinarian to make sure it was not carrying a disease.
• If you see ticks walking around on a cat or in the home, flea and tick sprays and powders can be used.

Ticks that are killed should be placed in a small sealable and insecticide treated container before discarding.

Tick prevention
To prevent ticks from biting your cat, use topical drops or collars such as the Hartz® UltraGuard Plus® and Hartz® UltraGuard PRO® lines, because they contain active ingredients that target killing all three stages of the tick life. However, you should always do routine inspections on your animal even with product application. You may find ticks that are imbedded even though they are dead. Follow the above instructions for removal. As a further measure of treatment, you can provide a barrier by using yard sprays to achieve residual control of ticks on your lawn, gardens and shrubs.