With the arrival of summer, cats like to spend more time out of doors. But traipsing about on fields and in gardens looking for new friends or hunting for mice increases their chances of becoming prey to fleas and ticks, who survive by feeding on the bodies of other animals. Can you recognize the signs of an infestation? Do you know how to get rid of these parasites?
Fleas and ticks, words often used synonymously, are two completely different insects that show up especially when the weather gets warm. Let us take a look at the differences between the two and learn about how to keep them at bay so that your poor cat can enjoy her summer too!
Fleas are tiny, flat insects that move very quickly and are famous for jumping from place to place, thus causing unpleasant itching. They prefer to inhabit the base of the cat’s neck, back and head, and they bite when they are hungry, stinging your pet and drinking its blood.
Despite the speed with which they move, finding them is not difficult. One of the best ways is to rub the cat’s fur backwards and inspect the areas at the base of the hair. If you see lots of tiny black dots, you’ll know it is time for action. The dots are the insect’s faeces. Get a vial of effective flea treatment and use an anti-flea comb, like Ferplast’s GRO 5838 comb, to combat the infestation quickly and effectively. Ferplast’s flea comb has a dense row of strong chromed metal teeth that efficiently cleans your cat’s coat in depth, smoothing down the hair and removing the small parasites inside.
Ticks, on the other hand, do not really move at all. They bite and then remain attached to the skin to suck your pet’s blood. As they do so they swell and become as round as a little ball. They are easy to spot and usually attach themselves in areas where blood is easy to get to, like behind the ears, in the folds of skin and on the nose.
Ticks rarely prefer cats but if you do find one when you pet your kitty, it’s a good idea to remove it. You can either do this yourself or ask your vet to help you. Ticks need to be removed in a special way to prevent their mouths from remaining stuck in the skin and cause an infection.
It is very important to distinguish between ticks and fleas so that you can treat your pet with the proper remedy if and when an infestation does occur. You can prevent these pesky insects from climbing onto your cat all year long using specific products to make sure it is always pest free!