3 Ways To Keep Your Cat Safe From Ticks

Ticks are blood-sucking arachnids that can spread a variety of dangerous diseases to animals that they bite. You may already know that ticks can give you diseases like Lyme Disease, but your cat is also at risk of tickborne diseases. Here are three ways that you can keep your cat safe from ticks.

Keep Your Cat Indoors

Since ticks generally live outdoors, keeping your cat inside your house is an easy way to keep them safe from tick bites. It's possible for ticks to hitch a ride inside your house on your clothes, but since ticks are outdoor pests, this isn't a major concern.

Being an indoor cat doesn't mean that your cat needs to be bored and cooped up inside the house. You can build a screened extension around your patio—known as a catio—to let your indoor cat have a taste of the outdoors without letting ticks get a taste of them. Make sure that the screens are tight enough to keep out ticks and that there's no way for your cat to escape the catio.

Remove Tick Habitats

If you want to let your cat roam around your backyard, you'll need to get rid of areas that could harbor ticks. Ticks like to live in places like piles of leaf litter, tall grasses, and overgrown shrubs. Minimize their hiding places by promptly disposing of leaf litter and keeping your grass and shrubs well-trimmed.

It's also a good idea to build a fence around your backyard. This fence will help to keep out wild animals—like deer—that could introduce ticks to your backyard. If your fence has a reverse overhang, it will also prevent your cat from leaving your yard and encountering neighborhood ticks.

Use Tick Medications

Medications are available to protect your cat from ticks. These medications contain insecticides that will kill any ticks that manage to crawl onto your cat, and they are available in both oral and topical delivery methods.

While tick medications are available over-the-counter, it's a good idea to ask your veterinarian to recommend a good product for your pet. Tick medications that are meant for dogs can be very dangerous for cats, and the weight of your cat also influences which medication is best.

If you're worried about your cat being bitten by ticks and contracting diseases, take steps to keep them safe from ticks. A veterinarian (such as one from East Valley Animal Clinic) can help you choose an appropriate tick medication for your pet.

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