Mary Allen
Home remedies, spot-on, or a tick collar? We reveal what really helps and what you should keep your hands off.
Hardly any cat that is allowed to roam freely through gardens and fields is spared from fleas and ticks. The crawling creatures not only cause annoying itching and skin irritation but can also transmit dangerous diseases. Therefore, if you discover small roommates in the fur of your front yard tiger, you should fight them sustainably. But not all the remedies that are recommended actually keep what they promise. We reveal which means are recommended.
Natural home remedies
Plant-based preparations or self-made mixtures of household substances are recommended by many cat owners as harmless for the velvet paw, but still effective. But by no means all means are really harmless for your darling. In particular, essential oils such as eucalyptus or tea tree oil should not be used under any circumstances, as cats react to them with nausea and vomiting.
The only home remedy that has proven to be reliable is coconut oil, but it only works against ticks. Should a tick have attached itself to the skin of your cuddly tiger, it can easily be removed mechanically. The best way to do this is with tick tweezers or a tick hook. This allows you to pull the bloodsucker out without tearing off the tick’s head or getting pathogens into your cat’s bloodstream.
Spot-on and tablets against fleas and ticks
Spot-on is particularly safe and easy to use. These are drops that contain active ingredients that kill the annoying parasites. They are simply dripped onto the animal’s neck and from there spread all over the animal. Since the active ingredient is stored in the sebaceous glands and continuously released with the sebum, your four-legged friend is protected for several weeks with a spot-on.
You should seek advice from your veterinarian when choosing the right spot-on, as fleas in different regions have developed resistance to individual active ingredients. Some active ingredients are now also available in tablet form. If your cat is easily given pills, this may be a viable alternative.
Shampoos, sprays, and powders
Over-the-counter products such as shampoos, powders, and sprays that are applied directly to the coat usually contain active ingredients similar to the spot-on and tablets only available in pharmacies but are not recommended. Not only are velvet paws generally very reluctant to be bathed or powdered, but they can also use e.g. T. absorb toxic substances when cleaning. In addition, these agents only kill the parasites currently on the animal.
Bug collars
While the effects of flea collars last longer, they can become a deadly trap for your velvet paw. Outdoor cats in particular, who like to roam through the bushes, easily get their collars caught on a branch and can seriously injure themselves trying to free themselves. Slightly safer are bug collars with a rubber insert, but again, these should only be worn by cats who are under human supervision at all times.
Flea control in the apartment
Since fleas do not multiply on the cat, but in its environment, the apartment must also be freed from the pests in the event of a flea infestation. For this purpose, all sleeping places, armchairs, and carpets should be thoroughly cleaned. The use of environmental sprays available in pet shops is also useful.
If, despite all preventive measures, a tick has bitten your cat, here are the right tips on how to remove ticks from cats.
All the best to you and your animal!