Summer is here, the days are longer, and we are spending more time outside. And the ticks are waiting!

Even your indoor kitty is at risk of tick bites or infestation. Ticks are accomplished hitchhikers and can be transferred into the home on clothing, tools, furniture, and any other item that enters your home from the outside. Once inside they will lie in wait for a warm mammal to brush by them, then attach themselves and be on their way to a warm blood meal.

Besides being just plain icky, ticks are a health hazard to humans and pets. They are known to transmit tick-borne disease (TBD). Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Rickettsiosis, Babesiosis, Tickborn Relapsing Fever, are just a few. TBD can range from simply annoying, to serious or fatal for you and your pets.

Regular use of a high-quality flea and tick prevention product like Frontline is a recommended measure. Daily inspection of your pets while grooming is an excellent way to discover a tick.

If you find a tick that has attached itself, engorged with blood or not, you can remove it safely if you follow these guidelines. It’s a good idea to keep removal supplies on hand so they are readily available if and when you might need them.

Items needed:

• sharp tweezers or Ticked Off tick removal tool
• gloves
• soap
• water
• alcohol

Do not use oils, matches, nail polish, or other techniques to remove ticks, as they are not only ineffective but dangerous. If the tick is traumatized, the substances in their guts may be disgorged. The potentially infectious organisms in their guts may then be transferred to the tick’s host.

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