Ticks and their diseases can be significant health risks to cats, even those primarily indoors. However, there are many actions you can take to safeguard your cat. Understanding the different types of tick preventatives, their mechanisms, and the appropriate frequency of use can provide you with the relief of knowing you're prepared to keep your feline friend safe.
The Importance Of Tick Prevention For Cats
As pets become integral to our daily lives, protecting them from tick-borne diseases has become increasingly important.
Ticks can latch onto household members, drop off in the environment, and target your cat as a host. After being outdoors, they can hitch a ride on your clothing or another pet, and some ticks can even be found inside the home.
Beyond causing skin irritation, secondary infections, blood loss, and tick paralysis, ticks can transmit several diseases to cats, including:
Essential Information For Choosing Tick Prevention For Cats
There are many options for tick prevention, including topicals, collars, and tablets, with effectiveness lasting from one to eight months. Choosing the correvt product can be challenging, but your veterinarian can guide you to the best choice for your cat.
Consider the following factors when choosing a tick preventive:
- Age and weight: Some products are only suitable for cats older than eight weeks and weighing more than 1.5 pounds.
- Environment: Different products target specific tick species, so check which ticks are common in your area.
- Lifestyle: Choose a product that is easy to use, topical, tablet, or collar.
- Medical conditions: Certain preventives are not recommended for pregnant, lactating, older, or debilitated cats.
- Other pets in the home: Make sure all pets are protected, as they can become hosts for ticks.
Best Tick Prevention For Cats
Year-round tick control is available in various forms, including dips, sprays, topicals, tablets, and collars. Regardless of the form, most products are designed to kill or make the tick drop off before transmitting the disease. This protects your cat and other household members, including yourself.
Topical Treatments:
- Bravecto (fluralaner): Suitable for cats over six months and weighing over 2.6 pounds. Administered every 8-12 weeks, it targets American dogs and deer/black-legged ticks.
- Catego (dinotefuran, fipronil, pyriproxyfen): For cats older than eight weeks and weighing more than 1.5 pounds. Applied monthly, it protects against American dog ticks, deer/black-legged ticks, brown dog ticks and Lone Star ticks.
- Frontline Plus (fipronil, methoprene): Suitable for cats older than eight weeks and weighing more than 1.5 pounds. Given monthly, it covers American dog ticks, deer/black-legged ticks, Lone Star ticks, and brown dog ticks—safe for pregnant and nursing cats.
- Effipro (fipronil) / Effipro Plus (fipronil, pyriproxyfen): For cats older than eight weeks and weighing more than 1.5 pounds. Applied monthly, it defends against American dog ticks, deer/black-legged ticks; Lone Star ticks, and brown dog ticks—safe for nursing cats and pregnant.
- Frontline Gold (fipronil, pyriproxyfen, S-methoprene): Suitable for cats older than eight weeks and weighing more than 3 pounds. Administered monthly, it protects against American dog ticks, deer/black-legged, Lone Star, and brown dog ticks—safe for nursing cats and pregnant.
- Revolution Plus (sarolaner, selamectin): Suitable for cats older than eight weeks and weighing more than 2.8 pounds. Given monthly, it covers American dog ticks, deer/black-legged ticks, Lone Star ticks, and brown dog ticks—safe for nursing cats and pregnant.
Collars:
- Seresto (imidacloprid, flumethrin): Suitable for cats older than ten weeks and of any weight. The collar provides up to eight months of protection against American dog ticks, deer/black-legged ticks, Lone Star ticks, and brown dog ticks. Use with caution in older or sick cats.
Oral Tablets:
- Credelio (lotilaner): This chewable tablet is suitable for cats older than six months and weighing more than 2 pounds. It is given monthly and protects against deer and black-legged ticks. Use with caution in cats with a history of neurological disease.
How To Treat Your Environment For Ticks
To effectively treat your environment for ticks, consider the following strategies:
- Eliminate Secondary Tick Hosts: Create barriers or eliminate secondary hosts such as rodents. This may include installing fences or restricting access to your yard from wildlife and feral animals that can carry ticks.
- Consult Professional Pest Control: Hire a professional pest control company to treat your yard. Ensure your pet stays off the treated area until the chemicals are dry. Avoid using products with permethrin, as it is toxic to cats and can cause seizures and tremors.
- Avoid High-Risk Areas: Clear wooded areas and tall grasses where ticks are commonly found.
- Control Weeds: Regularly manage and control weeds in your yard.
- Keep Cats Indoors: To minimize their exposure risk, keep your cats indoors, particularly during peak tick season.
Ensure Regular Tick Checks For Your Cats
Tick-borne diseases are transmitted while ticks feed on their host, which takes three to 48 hours. Removing ticks before this period greatly reduces the risk of disease transmission.
To prevent disease, you must consistently check your cat for ticks. At a minimum, perform daily tick checks, especially if you live in an area prone to ticks, such as wooded or forested regions.
Indoor/outdoor cats should be checked for ticks whenever they come inside.
Focus on these areas when checking your cat for ticks:
- Eyelids
- Inside and around the ears
- Neck and collar area
- Between the toes
- Groin
- Armpits
- Tail and anal areas
The Best Medicine For Cats: Tick Prevention
Numerous products are available for safe and effective prevention of ticks and tick-borne diseases. Consult your vet to find the best product for your cat.
Veterinarians advise administering tick preventives year-round, as ticks can survive in various temperatures.
