The tick is a parasite of a class of arachnids, which is dangerous for animals. The sizes of an insect change at saturation - the hungry mite reaches a size of up to 5 mm, but after saturation it increases to 15 mm. Changing color and tick - in a hungry form, its color is brown, black, brown, and after eating changes to gray, red or pinkish tint. Outwardly, the insect is like a spider: a small head, a small body, four pairs of legs.
The habitat of the mite is park and forest zones, but sometimes it can be found on a lawn of flowers in a large city. High activity is observed in autumn and spring. For animals with free access to the street, mites represent the greatest danger. If you bite an insect, you must immediately remove it, and after removing the tick, take the cat to the veterinarian.
What does a tick look like on an animal?
After each walk on the street you need to carefully inspect the body of the cat for the presence of parasites. To do this, you can comb the hair with a small comb and feel the animal against the growth of the hair. At best, you will find an insect moving quickly along the wool. If the insect has managed to bite the cat, it will resemble a seed adhered to the skin or a peeled pea (depending on the duration of contact).
Most often the mite affects the skin of the armpits, abdomen, ribs, behind the ears or in the groin area. When bitten, the insect secretes a special saliva, which forms a semblance of a strong case in the proboscis. This "tunnel" in combination with the teeth on the mouthpiece securely fix the mite in a static position. In the process of feeding, the parasite sucks out lymph and blood, injecting into the wound anesthetic enzymes. If you know how to get a tick out of a cat, then scabies, sarcoptic disease of teilerosis, gyroplasmosis or gemobartonellosis, accompanied by irritation and itching of the skin, anemia, loss of appetite will develop with time.
How correctly to pull out the tick?
Never tear out the parasite that is sucked in: this increases the likelihood of infection. To remove such insects, there is a special device - a stick with a lasso or a "tick twister". If this tool is not at home, then you can do without it. To pull out the tick at home you will need:
- tweezers or thick thread;
- olive, sunflower or machine oil;
- latex gloves.
When all of the above is available, you can begin removing the sucking mite. Put on gloves and apply oil to the area where the parasite is. For several minutes the mite begins to weaken, as he will lack oxygen. After this, it is necessary to wrap the parasite with a thick floss in the jaw or near the head and begin to swing. When the insect, with almost no resistance starts to move from side to side, gently pull the thread. In this case, you do not need to take him by the torso or twist. This procedure can be done with conventional tweezers.
The removed parasite must be burned or placed in alcohol.
After removing the sucking tick, the bite site should be treated with iodine / alcohol. Follow the behavior and state of health of the cat. If the fever has risen, itching or lethargy is observed, it is necessary to take her to the clinic. You can also pass the parasite to an analysis that reveals whether it is a carrier of the disease or not.
To further protect your pet from ticks, you can use special anti-parasitic collars, sprays or drops from ticks.