Why ticks are dangerous for your cat?
Most ticks need humidity and mild weather to survive. Malaysia’s perfect climate is literally the ideal breeding and surviving ground for them. For this reason, they can be found throughout the year. So, you should always be alert to their presence and keep your cat protected with an effective tick control product all-year-round.
Brown dog ticks may cause skin irritation and heavy infestations may result in anaemia from excessive blood loss. They are also the carrier or vector for various pathogens, including rickettsia and other types of bacteria, viruses, and protozoa. These infectious agents may be transmitted to your cat by tick bites, causing severe and potentially fatal diseases known as Tick-borne diseases (TBD).
In Malaysia, three most common tick-borne diseases in cats are babesiosis, ehrlichiosis and anaplasmosis. Because individual ticks can harbour more than one disease-causing agent, patients can be infected with more than one pathogen at the same time, compounding the difficulty in diagnosis and treatment.
Finding ticks on your cat
When a tick first attaches to your cat, they are small and difficult to find. They enlarge as they feed, so the longer they are attached, the easier they are to find. Unfortunately, the longer they are attached, the more likely they are to cause problems.
The majority of ticks on cats can be found around the head and neck area, however they can be anywhere on the body so checking all over is required. It is recommended to check your cat for ticks daily, even if they are on a tick control product. And remember, you’re more likely to feel the tick than to see it, so make sure to use your hands to feel along your cat’s skin and give a thorough check - especially if they spend a lot of time outdoors.
To find ticks, it is recommended to run your fingers through your cat's coat, feeling the skin surface carefully as you go. Pay particular attention to those hidden or hard to reach areas like under the collar and chin, between the toes, the paws, gum-line, lips, eyes and inside the ears. And don’t forget to feel along their body, making sure to check their belly, and then down their back legs and genital region, as ticks can be found there, as well as on the tail.