Mention TikTok in our house and the cat does a runner.
It’s not the social media platform itself that causes her to flee, but the word “TICK!” – a bad one in her vocabulary. From March until the end of November, she is as familiar with it as her name.
This year’s attack from these bloodsucking arachnids came early, along with the fear that a winter with less frost may mean a hard time ahead for dogs, cats and all who enjoy walking, especially where deer like to roam. This includes our back garden and the nearby woodlands the cat considers her territory.
Ticks spark fear when we become aware that Lyme disease, if left untreated, could be fatal. Thankfully, treatment is both simple and effective.
Cats Protection advises volunteers who pick up a tick to seek medical advice immediately. Well, some of us would never be away from the doctor’s surgery, as ticks invade gardens close to countryside and fields where host animals intrude.
Instead, we check for and remove the pesky creatures, and watch out for a telltale rash that may form a ring round the infected area. It’s then that we should get to our nearest medical centre for the antibiotic that deals with this cruel bacterial infection.
There can be other symptoms and no rash, but information is easily found in leaflets and online, or a quick call to animal organisations will point you in the right direction.
It’s the black-legged tick that may carry the bacterium Borrelia mayonii, and transmit through its bite not only Lyme disease but other infections.
Aiming for prevention is best
Unfortunately, despite what I inadvertently believed, sometimes even after an animal is treated using one of the many prevention solutions available, the unwelcome tick still burrows in. This makes it much more difficult to deal with, but using the little forked removal tool provided with most treatments should ensure you get the tiny tormentor out cleanly.
Sadly, a single bite from any tick is a disaster for my own cat. Dead or alive, the tick’s removal is traumatic in itself, and then the skin reaction sets in. We aim for prevention, but I’ve yet to find a solution that delivers it.
There are several advertised, and Cats Protection has its own favourite. Using any one of them is much better than none, as all brands I’ve tried work to a degree – some better than others.
Spring is welcomed by me, and no doubt by you, as well as the cat and the deer, too, exercising their right to roam wherever they can. But, beware of the ticks.
Joan Campbell is an author who began her work with Caithness Cats Protection after retiring from the tourism industry.
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