Ticks on cats are less commonly discussed than ticks on dogs — but outdoor cats are just as exposed to ticks as dogs who walk in the same environments. Ticks transmit serious diseases, cause localised skin reactions, and in heavy infestations can cause anaemia. Knowing how to find them, remove them safely, and prevent them in the first place is essential knowledge for any cat owner with outdoor access.
Do Cats Get Ticks?
Yes — frequently, particularly cats with outdoor or semi-outdoor access. Cats pick up ticks by brushing against long grass, undergrowth, leaf litter, and woodland vegetation where ticks wait for passing hosts.
The same tick species that affect dogs affect cats — including the black-legged tick (deer tick), the American dog tick, and the lone star tick. All of these can transmit disease.
Interestingly, cats appear to have some natural resistance to certain tick-borne diseases — Lyme disease is rarely diagnosed in cats despite frequent tick exposure. However, cats are susceptible to other tick-borne conditions including cytauxzoonosis (a serious and often fatal disease in some US regions), haemobartonellosis, and tularaemia.
Where to Find Ticks on Cats
Ticks prefer warm, hidden areas where the skin is accessible. Check these spots carefully after outdoor exposure:
- Around the head and neck — particularly around the ears and under the chin
- Inside and around the ears — ticks frequently crawl into the ear canal
- Between the toes and around paw pads
- Under the legs and in the armpits
- Around the tail base
- Under the collar — an often missed spot
Run your fingers slowly through the coat pressing gently against the skin — feel for small bumps. A recently attached tick may be tiny (poppy seed size); an engorged tick that has been feeding for hours is much larger and easier to find.
How to Remove a Tick From a Cat
Removal technique matters — incorrect removal increases the risk of disease transmission.
What you need: A tick removal tool — a tick hook (Tick Twister) or fine-tipped tweezers. These are inexpensive and every cat owner should have one.
Step by step:
- Stay calm — cats sense tension and become more difficult to handle
- Part the fur to clearly expose the tick and the skin around it
- Grasp the tick as close to the skin surface as possible — around the head, not the engorged body
- Pull upward with steady, even pressure — do not twist, jerk, or squeeze the body
- Place the removed tick in a sealed bag or jar — in case your vet needs to identify the species
- Clean the bite site with antiseptic
- Wash hands thoroughly
Never:
- Use petroleum jelly, nail varnish, heat, or alcohol to try to make the tick detach — these cause the tick to regurgitate into the wound, increasing disease risk
- Squeeze the body of the tick — this also pushes contents into the wound
- Use your fingers without protection
Signs Your Cat May Have a Tick-Borne Illness
Monitor your cat for 4–6 weeks after a tick bite. Contact your vet if you notice:
- Fever and lethargy — see our my cat has a fever guide for what to watch for
- Loss of appetite
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Pale or yellow gums — anaemia or jaundice
- Difficulty breathing
- Weakness or collapse
Cytauxzoonosis — a tick-borne disease caused by a parasite carried by the lone star tick and American dog tick — is particularly serious in cats and can be rapidly fatal in some US regions (particularly the south-central and southeastern states). Early veterinary treatment improves outcomes significantly.
Tick Prevention Products for Cats — What Actually Works
This section requires important caution that affects cat owners more than dog owners.
CRITICAL WARNING — Never Use Dog Tick Products on Cats
Many tick prevention products that are safe for dogs are fatally toxic to cats. This is not a mild caution — this is a life-threatening risk.
Permethrin — found in many dog spot-on treatments (Advantix, many over-the-counter products) — is highly toxic to cats and causes tremors, seizures, and death. Even contact with a recently treated dog can affect a cat in the same household.
Always check that any product is specifically labelled as safe for cats before application. When in doubt, ask your vet.
Safe Tick Prevention Options for Cats
Prescription spot-on treatments for cats: Products containing fluralaner (Bravecto for Cats) or sarolaner are prescription-only but provide reliable tick and flea prevention in cats.
Seresto collar for cats: The Seresto collar releases imidacloprid and flumethrin — both safe for cats — providing 8 months of continuous flea and tick protection. This is one of the most cost-effective long-term options for outdoor cats.
Frontline Plus for Cats: Contains fipronil — safe for cats and kills ticks that attach. Applied monthly to the back of the neck.
What to Avoid
- Any product containing permethrin — check labels carefully
- Dog tick products applied to cats — always
- Herbal or essential oil-based repellents — many essential oils including tea tree, eucalyptus, and peppermint are toxic to cats
- Treating your cat with a product not specifically labelled for cats
Tick Prevention Products Comparison for Cats
| Product | Active Ingredient | Duration | Prescription |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bravecto Plus for Cats | Fluralaner | 2 months | Yes |
| Frontline Plus for Cats | Fipronil | Monthly | No |
| Seresto Cat Collar | Imidacloprid + Flumethrin | 8 months | No |
| Revolution Plus for Cats | Selamectin + Sarolaner | Monthly | Yes |
Checking and Protecting Cats Who Hunt
Hunting cats — those who regularly catch and eat birds, mice, and small mammals — have elevated tick exposure beyond what they pick up from vegetation directly. Prey animals carry ticks, and a cat who catches a tick-carrying mouse or bird is exposed.
For hunting cats, monthly treatment with a vet-approved product is strongly recommended year-round rather than seasonally.
Ticks and Indoor Cats
Indoor-only cats have very low tick exposure risk — but it is not zero. Ticks can be carried into the home on shoes, clothing, other pets, or cut flowers. Monthly prevention is not usually considered necessary for confirmed indoor-only cats, but checking your cat occasionally if you or your dog spend time in tick-prone areas is sensible.
If your household has a dog on tick prevention, ensure the product used is not permethrin-containing — even indirect contact with a treated dog can be harmful to cats.
Tick Treatment for Cats — FAQ
I found a tick on my indoor cat — how did it get there? Most likely carried in on clothing, shoes, a dog, or occasionally on cut flowers or garden plants brought inside. Indoor-only cats can encounter ticks this way. Remove it using the technique above and monitor for illness.
Can ticks make my cat anaemic? In heavy infestations — particularly in kittens or small cats — large numbers of feeding ticks can cause anaemia through blood loss. This is more common with severe infestations and in young or weak cats.
My cat removed a tick themselves while grooming — is this a problem? Cats do groom off ticks, but self-removal is not clean — the tick’s mouth parts can remain embedded, and ingesting the tick during grooming is a potential route for certain infections. Check your cat regularly so you find ticks before they have been feeding long.
How soon after attachment can a tick transmit disease? For most tick-borne diseases, transmission requires the tick to be attached and feeding for at least 24–36 hours. This is why daily checking and prompt removal significantly reduces disease risk. Cytauxzoonosis may transmit more rapidly — another reason prevention is preferable to reliance on removal alone.
Can I use a flea comb to remove ticks from my cat? A flea comb removes loose or recently attached ticks on the surface of the coat but cannot safely remove embedded ticks with mouthparts in the skin. Use a tick removal tool for any tick that is attached and feeding.
Also read: My Cat Is Sick — Signs and When to See a Vet | My Cat Has a Fever | How to Groom a Dog at Home | Tick Treatment for Dogs
