TICK

hey, i posted this is the cat forum too but i figure it's the same "treatment" for both dogs and cats so i'll give it a shot here.

I'm watching my parents cats for the next little while, i was petting one of them and found a tick. I called my vet and she gave me an appointment for tonight and said i shouldnt worry about it. I am worried about it because i know ticks can carry lyme disease, although i'm sure they are vaccinated for it seeing as they are outdoor cats, but my cats aren't vaccinated seeing as they are indoor cats. Also i know people can get lyme disease... but the vet said it would only be a risk if i actually got bite by the tick...? any comments on that?

My groomer offered to take the tick off because she has the special tweezers for it and can do it much sooner then the vet... is it very complicated to do? alot of risk??

Also, if theres one should i be looking for more? The cat has very long hair and is a bit wild so it's not easy to manipulate her but i would prefer to take the time and be safe if there is generally more then one

Thanks alot!!!

[have 2 kids]

Our vet told us an easy way to remove ticks from our dog.
Put antibacterial soap on a cottonball and place over tick for 20 seconds.  Then gently rub to remove tick.   It worked for us.

[ginger899]

Take hold of the base of the Tick (where it is attached to the skin) with a pair of tweezers, then use a gentle but quite firm 'levering' motion to pull it straight out. It's important not to leave the head of the Tick in, as it can cause an abscess. If you are unsure how to do this, then get either the vet or your groomer to show you exactly how it's done, so you can do it next time. It would be helpful if you can get someone to hold the cat very steady for you while you pull the Tick off.

I always dab a bit of antiseptic on afterwards.

You are advised to wash your hands after removing a Tick, and keep it in a small container, just to be on the safe side, (in case your pet develops any symptoms at a later date)

Only a small number of Ticks carry Lyme Disease. I know. There is a lot of Lyme disease in my area too. My dog has had umpteen Ticks, but has never developed Lyme. Nor have I (yet) and I once had to remove 25 Ticks from my body!

The quicker a Tick (even an infected one) is removed, the less likely it is that it will transmit Lyme disease anyway. If even a Lyme-bearing Tick is removed straight away, or even within a few hours, it is very unlikely to cause infection.
The trick is to examine the dog/cat regularly for Ticks. In my case I do examine my dog every day, as she spends a lot of time in grassy or wooded places, where she sometimes picks up Ticks.

[Ghilly]

When ticks have their heads embedded in the skin they breathe through their skin.  If you take petroleum jelly and put a heavy coating of it over the entire tick and the area surrounding it, it will back out because it can no longer breathe and you will be able to safely pick it from the cat without risking the head coming off and remaining under the skin.  I have used this method several times in the past with success.

Ghilly

[Shara21]

hey

thanks to everyone for the comments!!

I brought her to the groomer and we ended up getting it out with a little tweezer type tool from the vet. I have now, officially found out which insect creeps me out the most, they are gross little buggers!!! =P

i feel bad for the cat because i've had her for about a week, and she hasnt gone outdoors in that time so it had been in her for a while, i sent the tick to be checked for lyme disease. Like i said, she's fairly wild and hard to handle but we checked her out and that seemed to be the only one.

glad it's over with!!!

Ginger- 25 ticks removed from your body.... that must have ruined your day eh? =P