Can't get this out of my mind. (kind of gross)

[arcadian]

Yesterday I found a huge tick on one of the kitties, in her armpit area. I tried getting the tick with twizzers but it was really in there. Finally I just grabbed it with my two fingers and yonked it out, when it came out it made this kind of popping noise and the kitty started wailing. I feel so bad for the kitties and I keep hearing that popping sounding in my head when I think about it. I'm finding all kinds of ticks on them but can't afford Frontline at $63 a pop.

[Whoa_Nelly]

1. Use olive oil

suffocate the bastids.

If anything, will make it slip out because it's not getting the air on it's body, and it won't harm your kitties. :hug:

Don't use Tea Tree oil on cats...bad for them, but here are a lot of other good and natural ways to help your furries not suffer.
http://www.katberard.com/hea_pestcontrol.htm

[Ptah]

2. Excellent suggestion

:thumbsup:

Get them to withdraw.

:hi:

[Whoa_Nelly]

3. Hey, Ptah!

You coming out here to help me move to OKC?


Am moving within the month :(

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=8790999&mesg_id=8791011

:hi: :loveya: :pals:

[Ptah]

5. I hadn't seen that.

I've never been to Oklahoma City.

I sure you will miss your grandkids and their parents.



Not to mention the friends you have in Hanford.

I wish I could help you relocate,
but I have hands full with my son and my job.

[Whoa_Nelly]

8. You are always such a sincere and dear friend

Was only teasing. ;)

But, am sure that if you could, you would, because that's the kind of guy you are! :hug: :loveya: :hi:

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

7. H!

:hi: Great link! Lots of info.:thumbsup:

[cwydro]

9. Or vaseline.

I buy products from Petmeds.com and can get a three or fourpack of Advantage for just under or around $50. It's worth it. Frontline is a little more expensive, but Advantage works best on my cats anyway.

Or just spring for flea collars that kill ticks as well. They usually work pretty well.

[sarge43]

15. A tab of Vaseline works, too.

You might want to check kittie. Sometimes part of the bastid's body reminds in the wound. If in doubt, vet visit.

How's kittie doing?

[Inchworm]

4. $63 a pop?

I get it here (for dogs) for $15.

It may be an area thing. Shop around.

Annnyhow...

If you have critters on the spot with ticks, try not to fret. (hehe.. thats fun to say) Be brave. Grab the tick between your finger and thumb.. then.. try to get a feel at how it is headed into the critter. Re-grab it if you must so you are pulling it out the way it went in.

Some say.. if you get to this point and constantly rotate it in the same direction, the tick will get dizzy and release. Try that first.

Me, I say.. steady even pressure accomplishes the same thing. You can actually feel when the li'l bugger lets go.

I do my method 10-20 times a week when it is the season for it. The other method works, but I really think it's the pressure and not that it gets dizzy.

As for destruction... I put the removed bugs into an RC bottle with a cap.

:hi:

PS: The "pop" you prolly heard was the tick's backside full of kitty blood bursting.

[arcadian]

10. $63 is for a box of three I think.

Petco or Petsmart or whatever the big chain is now doesn't sell them individually. I know, I used to work in a feed store where they sold it for about $15 for one of those plastic vial things.

[XemaSab]

6. You think ticks are bad?

Try a botfly on a rat I captured.

It was in the pit, and it was like a hideous tumor with a sucking mouth. x(

[marzipanni]

13. Eeeeeeewwwww!

A captured rat let you look at a botfly lump?
I have seen some horrible YouTube footage of a botfly being removed from a man's back, thanks to my 14-year-old son inviting me to view his weird discoveries on the internet!
It starts with "Are you squeamish?"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23eimVLAQ2c

[Moondog]

11. A lot of adoption and no-kill shelters

in my area sell this stuff for just slightly above cost. It might be worth your while to make a few phone calls.

[sammythecat]

12. There was a post about this before, and it had good info

This is the link to the post: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x8761412

Here's a link to how to "twiddle a tick". How to get tick to voluntarily release it's hold.
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-remove-a-tick/

There is also a thing called a "tick removal tool". They're simple and cheap(like, $1 or $2) available at any vet or pet supply.

Don't squeeze the tick! You'll be squeezing bad things into the wound.

Google "tick removal" and you'll find a lifetime's worth of reading.

[FloridaJudy]

14. Try mayonnaise

Like the olive oil, it can smother creepy critters, but it's less messy and easier to wipe off than olive oil. This works like a charm for head lice on children, so it should be equally effective on kitties.