What Are the Real Risks of Cat Ticks to Human Health?

What Are the Real Risks of Cat Ticks to Human Health?

Ticks are not only annoying pests. They also cause serious health risks to both cats and humans. It’s important to note that cats don’t transmit tick-borne diseases to humans. However, they still bring ticks into the home. 

If you have any feline companions, it’s crucial to understand the dangers of cat ticks and how to prevent them from harming your pet and your family.

Can Humans Get Ticks from Cats?

Humans don’t directly get ticks from cats. However, ticks can jump off from a cat’s fur to surfaces in the home or on clothes. 

Ticks can attach to a human when there are no animal hosts nearby. And when a tick bites a human, it can transmit diseases like Lyme disease and babesiosis. Cats that roam outdoors are at high risk of carrying ticks into your home. 

How to Know If Your Cat Has Ticks

Detecting ticks is crucial in preventing serious health issues in cats. Here are the common signs that your cat has ticks:

• Frequent scratching and grooming or biting at certain areas

• Small lumps on the skin, like tiny warts under your cat’s fur

• Visible engorged ticks attached to the skin appear as dark spots

• Lethargy or weakness due to a tick-borne illness

The Dangers of Tick Diseases in Cats

Ticks are tiny bugs that can cause big problems to your cat’s health. Here are some of the most common and severe tick-borne diseases in cats.

Lyme Disease

Tick bites transmit bacteria into your cat’s blood stream, which causes Lyme disease is caused by bacteria transmitted through tick bites. This is more common in dogs, but cats can still contract the infection. It’s also typical in humans so that cat ticks can be a big threat to your health. 

Infected cats can develop symptoms like joint pain, stiffness, fever, and lethargy. They may also have difficulty moving. Other signs include swollen lymph nodes and a loss of appetite. Without treatment, Lyme disease can cause long-term joint and kidney complications.

Babesiosis

Babesiosis is another tick-borne disease that targets the red blood cells, which can lead to anemia in cats. Signs of babesiosis include weakness, lethargy, dark-colored urine, and pale gums.

A cat infected with babesiosis needs to be taken to a vet clinic immediately to manage the symptoms and prevent complications.

Ehrlichiosis

The tick disease that affects a cat’s immune system is called ehrlichiosis. Common symptoms of this bacterial infection include high fever, weight loss, and anemia. Some cats even experience nosebleeds due to the platelet level drop. 

Ehrlichiosis weakens your cat’s immune response to diseases, so it’s likely that secondary infections can affect them, too. 

Feline Haemotropic Mycoplasmosis (FHM)

Feline haemotropic mycoplasmosis (FHM) is another bacterial disease that affects cats’ red blood cells. Fleas are more commonly known to transmit FHM, but ticks can also cause this infection.

FHM can lead to severe anemia, which will eventually cause pale gums, weakness, and difficulty breathing in cats. Other cats have been found to develop jaundice, as well. 

How to Remove a Tick from Your Cat

If you find a tick on your cat, it’s important to note that you shouldn’t just take it out. Incorrect removal of ticks can transmit the disease or infection into your cat’s body. Here’s the proper way of removing a cat tick:

1. Wear gloves to avoid touching the tick with your bare hands.

2. Use a tick removal tool or tweezers. Grip the tick as close as possible to the cat’s skin.

3. Without twisting, pull out the tick slowly and steadily, aiming not to leave the head embedded.

4. Place the tick in a sealed container or flush it down the toilet to dispose of it properly.

5. Clean the bite area with antiseptic to avoid further infection.

6. Monitor your cat for any symptoms of tick-borne illnesses.

It’ll be best to take your cat to the veterinary clinic even when there aren’t any symptoms for a check-up and possibly an early diagnosis. If you’re unsure that you can remove the ticks correctly, you can also take your cat to professional pet groomers who are trained to handle such cases.

Preventing Ticks on Cats

The best way to protect your cat and your family from tick-borne diseases is by preventing infestations. There are many methods that effectively keep ticks away, including:

• Tick Collars – Special collars that emit a type of gas that repels ticks and has medication that seeps into the fat layers of the cat’s body to kill ticks when they bite.

• Spot-On Treatments – Topicals that are applied directly to the cat’s skin, killing ticks on contact.

• Oral Medications – Pills or tablets that provide a month-long protection for cats, eliminating the ticks when they bite. 

• Tick Shampoos – Specially formulated shampoos are used during grooming to remove ticks.

Veterinarians often use a combination of topicals, ingested medications, and other parasite preventive solutions. They would tailor treatment plans based on how severe your cat’s condition is and whether there are any secondary infections.

Conclusion

Cat ticks are not only irritating, but they can also cause real health risks to your pet and your family. By preventing ticks and recognizing signs of an infestation in your cat, you can prevent tick-borne diseases from causing serious problems.

Regular vet consultations and physical examinations can help maintain your cat’s health and prevent not only ticks but other parasites from infecting your pet.

FAQs

1. Can humans get ticks from cats?

Humans can’t catch ticks directly from cats. However, ticks can transfer from cats to people and bite them, transmitting severe diseases.

2. How do I know if my cat has ticks?

Cats with ticks will excessively scratch or groom themselves in an attempt to relieve the itching. You’ll also notice small lumps in their skin. The most obvious sign would be the sight of an engorged tick that’s attached to your cat’s fur.

3. What diseases can cats get from ticks?

Lyme disease, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, and feline haemotropic mycoplasmosis are diseases that cats can get from ticks. All these can lead to severe health issues and possibly long-term complications.

4. How do I safely remove a tick from my cat?

To remove a tick safely from your cat, wear gloves and use tweezers to grip the tick close to the skin. Pull it out gently, and don’t twist it to prevent the blood from getting into your cat’s body. Lastly, clean the bite area with an antiseptic.