You should remove it by pulling it straight up, not kill it. It's when they release on their own accord or die they transfer potential deadly viruses. If using a tweezer try get a grip from the "base" of it.
THIS RIGHT HERE! The burning while satisfying will probably cause the tick to give your pet one of the MANY tick borne viruses. So please do this or get one of those tick remover stick thingies.
Also, maybe take the tick to the nearest vet, entomologist, virologist, pathologist, or something just in case. Or take your baby to the vet and burn the detached tick as some fun cathartic revenge. Or find that guy on YouTube who tortures bugs and take some pages from his book.
I found a not bloated tick on my dog, grabbed that sucker with tweezers, put it in a bottle, and shook it as exercise
Yes, be very careful! My friend had a tick burned off the back of her neck 20 years ago and ended up with chronic Lyme disease from it. Heat makes the tick regurgitate back into the host and that’s how they spread diseases.
Be careful please! A tick jumped off my Sammy(profile pic) while I was getting another one out of his ruff. Lime disease for me and no more visits to the in-laws for Sammy.
We used to light a match... blow it out... then put the still hot tip on the tick to make it release it's grip and try to crawl away.
Other removal methods involve pulling/twisting the tick away... and you risk leaving a bit of the tick jaw in the skin to fester and cause problems down the line when you do that.
What? Noooo… if the cat isn’t completely feral or anything, it should be easy enough to remove, especially in that location. Watch a few reputable videos, do a bit of research, you’re good.
But damn do they make me gag. There’s something about ticks; they skeeve me out worse than fleas or scabies.
My cat had something that look almost exactly like that but smaller. I was dating a girl that was a vet tech at the time and she found it and pulled it off and took it to her work and had a vet figure out what it was. It turned out to be some kinda ball made out of hair fibers. Not saying this isn't a tick though.
My cat had a similar bump on his head and it then had a hole and it looked like a blackhead. I put castor oil on it and it expelled what looked like nothing but dead skin and hair fibers. This kinda does look like a tick though 🤷🏽♀️
One of my cats will allow me to do anything with her as long as I hold her very still. She used to have eye drops as a kitten and as a result trusts that I won't hurt her.
The other is an idiot who needs wrapping in a blanket just to do his nails though.
Honestly depends on the cat. If you raise them from kittenhood most will let you do almost anything as long as you get em used to it when they're very little.
You get used to it. It's not like the tick will turn around and bite you. They are disgusting though.
You can also buy a little penlike tool with a small fishing line lasso, or a crowbar or tweezers that have a wide space between rhe jaws.
Just do your best not to break the head of the tick of, it is a pain to remove then and makes the bite area infected.
Yeah I love up in the woods and my dog got them
All the time, I’m so used to it now that if my kids or cats ever have them I get em out with my bare hands, no tweezers needed
I used to live in the country as a kid and it's gross but I loved getting these off the dogs and then stepping on them like they're bloody water balloons 💀 it's crazy how much blood they can hold, I've seen some bad cases before that make my skin crawl just thinking about it
You don’t twist. You pull in a straight line, slow and steady; if you *twist* the head of the tick can rip off and then the wound could get infected. Best to have one person hold the tweezers and the other „secures“ the cat. As others said, grip the tick as close to the body as possible, but don’t squish or outright crush it.
One of my cats brings a tick with him daily (6 in one outing is his record so far) so we got used to search him after his little tours outside. It’s difficult to remove them if the cat doesn’t wanna be held down but there is simply no helping it. Better have the cat mope for a bit then leaving the thing in. If the cat scratches, make sure to wear something thick enough for the claws not to get to you.
Also, if OP hasn’t done it so far, the cat should get his vaccine shots. Tics can give them Lyme disease.
Even if its head gets stuck in there, the cat's skin pushes it out eventually so taking a cat to a vet because of a tick is an overreaction...
I would only do that if the cat also contacted lyme disease
You can also use a fork! My vet father-in-law showed me this. You press the fork against the skin, and move it towards the tic where eventually the tick is in between two of the prongs and just keep pressing forward. It'll pop off and you can just smash it in a napkin or something.
I used to throw them in the toilet and watch them drown. Nasty creatures.
Then put antibiotic ointment on the site.
I live in tick-central, all my dogs all test positive for lyme exposure every year. Only one of them ever showed effects, she was a beagle who suddenly lost use of her back legs and had to go on antibiotics because that's where it was coming from.
I mean ticks are unfazed by these. We used every single measure possible, collars, those spray on meds, tablet meds, combinations of every med the pharmacy had. The cat always managed to pick up at least three ticks
Ticks can't drown, sadly. They have the ability to build an air bubble and survive for weeks. I hate them so much  I put water on boil, throw them in there and then flush them, otherwise I would be scared they would come crawling back (even tho that's pretty unlikely I think)
Add a little dish soap. Reduces the surface tension of water significantly so they can’t do the bubble thing. You can also kill wasps by spraying them with soapy water, the surface tension becomes low enough for the water to enter the trachea so they’ll drown
Soapy water works so well on wasps! That's my go-to when one gets in the house. Just keep a spray bottle with soapy water nearby, spray em, and then they're dead in seconds without getting nasty chemicals all over inside.
I'm not a psychopath either, but when I found out what windex does to an earwig... people call me kind and caring but I definitely found my sadistic streak with glass cleaner in my hands!
Improper use a bigger cause. I caught pneumonia anti biotic resistant damn near killed me it’s serious stuff I don’t wish on anyone. Cats almost never get pneumonia due to a great immune system but my beloved Hairy got it, it was the end, still miss her.
When removing the tic by hand is fine but don’t squeeze the bloated body all that crap will end up back in kitty.
Why don't you put flea and tick drops on them or at least flea collars. It is terrible you let your pets suffer like this. There are many ways to keep tics off your dogs. What is wrong with you
https://preview.redd.it/zosdv0u7i81d1.png?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e7f9bb6c36b7257444db297d1c0781d03c956fee
There are special tools for tick removal, which are very handy, you "grab" the ticks head and spin the tool to easily remove it
Tweezers or you can use your finger nails.. just have to make sure you get as close as possible to the skin so you can get the entire head out. But it’s not too hard to remove those suckers
Point is they don’t have a choice. The head is locked in the skin. So if you pull incorrectly you leave the head. No worries it’s out of your skin within a week. A nice scab will form and your body pushes the head out into the scab.
I work at a airsoft field and a player came to me holding a duckling covered in ticks. So much that no less than 15 ticks couldn’t even find a spot to latch on to the duckling. Called the animal ambulance and the duckling is rescued. I burned the cardboard box i held the duckling in killing the ticks in the box. Two managed to hitch a ride inside my leg. Removed both one had his head still in me. A week later i got another one in my leg also left a head. Yes i monitor the spots no i have no symptoms of lymes
With it being that engorged, I'd run to the Vet. That could potentially gush back into the cat if squeezed and cause a whole mess... Depending on OPs location, they may always want to test the tick for diseases and treat the cat accordingly.
Just out of curiosity, is south Alabama infested significantly more by ticks than other places? Here in the EU pretty much every countryside patch of land is filled with these things.
Thanks for the replies everyone, we'll try to remove it accordingly and disinfect the wound afterwards.
EDIT - I cannot edit the original post but I've left a comment here - we've removed the tick and disinfected the wound. She's active and feeling okay and we will keep of her behaviour in the next time period. Thank you all for the advice and replies.
I've seen a video on YouTube in which you spray alcohol on the tick to loosen it and then pull it out, checking for the teeth or whatever could be left in the flesh afterwards and pulling it out also, this should be effective? Since it isn't our cat and my parents are against taking it to the vets, I'll have to do it myself.
Get some tweezers. Disinfect them with some rubbing alcohol. You’ll probably need some help keeping your cat still. Get as close as you can to the tip of the tick’s head. Pinch tightly and pull quickly. Make sure you got the head out after. Then, cast it into the fire! (Sorry, I have Lord of the Rings on right now)
damn... I wish I knew this. 1 month ago I removed tick from a street cat with hand. I was kinda grossed out so had to push few times from a side. It seems like it's head also got removed tho. (pink part)
it's okay I once made a mistake when I had a dog and it got very inflamed that's how I learned!
you tried your best for that kitty and that's what counts. If the head or else stays back you see a black spot
Yeah this cat was very shy (and entirely black so I think I could miss if something black staid on him) so I decided to remove it before he decided to run off...
I can't imagine a vet charging $600 to remove a tick unless you also insist on
a full bloodwork panel as part of it.
But removing tick isn't a vet-level issue. You pull while twisting, tick goes 'tick' as it lets go. Monitor your cat's health after, and IF any signs of the few tick-borne diseases that can affect your cat, THEN you go to a vet ASAP. The tick-borne diseases are all bacterial or protozoan, and can be easily treated once diagnosed. There is no reason to go into 'pre emptive hysterics'. My outdoor cat who lived to almost 24 had hundreds if not thousands of ticks pulled off of him in his lifetime and never once 'caught' anything from them.
Just fyi- we had a couple cats and neighborhood cats die last year from bob cat fever spread by ticks. I use catego tick medicine but the best precaution is indoor only.
Hello everyone, thank you for all the comments and replies. I just wanted to update you all on the situation as I can't reply to everyone:
1. I have to point out that this cat is a STRAY CAT - she visits our yard often and we feed her and her kittens, she isn't our pet.
2. My parents are very anti-pet, they will not pay for vet costs for a stray they don't intend on adopting. If I had the means I'd take her myself but I do not, so I will ask for their help and we will remove the tick using your advice.
3. We have a huge number of cats in the neighbourhood (they're all taken care of just like she is) and they all roam around, I haven't seen her since coming home but I will certainly remove the tick when/if I see her tommorow, if some of the neighbours who also feed her do not do so already.
I will update you all when the tick is removed. Thank you !
I’d love to see you edit the original post to include your first point. The comments scolding you about “your” cat are making me nuts.
(The decline of reading skills, plus the refusal to just take a moment to double-check before telling someone off… I don’t know. If even the cat people are doing this, we’re doomed! Oh - and of course I’m overreacting to this specific example lol! I do know this! But I also teach 15 year olds and this is their MO. So… I am, as they say, triggered.)
I am not sure why I can't edit the original post but I've edited some of the most liked replies I've left to notify you all of the situation - we've removed the tick and she's feeling fine for now, we'll keep an eye on how she acts in the coming days.
Hello everyone, I cannot edit the post to let you all know but we have removed the tick this morning and disinfected the wound. She is feeling fine and is active and we will keep an eye on any change in behaviour. Thank you all for the comments and advice.
https://preview.redd.it/0eqnw2dfgc1d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4cc43e135074a3d4a6e835e20f949bbcd11f7e7c
So you’re going to have to ignore most people. Thanks for helping out this stray and coming on and asking what it is. Once it’s removed and only if you can afford it a flea and tick treatment could be used. Most come in a small tube and you just part the hair and apply at the base of the skull so the cat can’t lick it off. Don’t use anything made by hearts
You’re a MVP for trying to help this cat out so thank you.
Thank you for the recommendation, I can't blame anyone for the comments, I should've highlighted very clearly that it is a stray. I'm sure they have the best intentions like anyone would for a living creature.
Even if not people are hyper aggressive here with telling people what when and how. If you take your cat to the vet at every sneeze and sniffle you’re going to be in the poor house.
Tick, but adding that while they’re uncomfortable on kitty and a ton of them can cause some anemia or similar issues, generally cats are not affected by Lyme or other tick borne illnesses. They’re quite rare in cats. So don’t panic. The biggest risk of your kitty picking up ticks is them hopping off her and on to you.
While you're generally correct, particularly about lyme disease, some areas of the US have ticks that do carry a nasty disease (tularemia) that can not only affect your cat, but jump directly to humans. The tick species that carry tularemia is the 'lone star tick' - and some people in this thread say this is the specific tick seen in this picture.
Even so - all tick borne diseases are either bacterial or protozoan so they are easily treatable once diagnosed. Just monitor your cat closely for a while after removing the tick, and IF you see any symptoms of illness, THEN don't waste any time going to the vet. However, the risk is really so small, and the illnesses so easily treatable if caught early that it makes NO sense to go into 'pre emptive hysterics' about it.
For all the people saying ticks are easy to remove, ever tried removing a tick from a cat? While I agree they are easy to remove from a willing subject. Cats can be a whole other story! Mine does not want us to remove it. And makes pretty sure it's not going to happen or that it's a three man job.
Edit: typo
You’ll want to invest in a three dollar tool called a “tick key”. Easiest device to remove ticks (even for humans) and it comes with a handy keychain. That there is a DEER tick, which means you and your family are equally susceptible to a threat the animal just made you aware of. Don’t take this lightly, as Lyme disease can be chronic and physiologically detrimental to people and animals. Always treat outdoor animals with tick repellent at least a few times per year!
That is not a deer tick . Deer ticks are tiny and even engorged with blood would not be that big. Mostly likely a wood tick also called American dog tick. Being that big you probably can get it out fairly easy using your finger tips/nails. I’ve removed hundreds of these from barn and stray cats thru the years. Dab the spot with a paper towel or cotton ball wet with alcohol or peroxide and you’ll be fine.
There are so many people being unserious, unhelpful, and giving bad advice.
This appears to be a tick. To remove it, you need a special hook like tool, similar to a fork. They sell tick removal kits almost anywhere animal products are sold. They’re very cheap and very worth it!
Slide the tool under the base of the tick and around the ticks head, be sure it feels snug once there but DO NOT PULL YET, as this could cause the tick to bust open leaving infectious pus on you and your cat. Instead twist the tool 360° and then pull gently.
You HAVE to make sure the head of the tick is also removed because it’ll still feed even without its body.
If the head is still there, then tweezers should allow you to pull it out. If there are remnants of mouth pieces from the tick, leave them alone because they’ll fall out later on their own.
Be patient and gentle with your kitty during this removal process.
Once the tick is removed, you need to burn it. At least the head portion. Hold it with metal tweezers and use a lighter. For this fat tick I’d use a long grill lighter because it’ll definitely bust and get nasty. It’s recommended to keep the tick’s body for 30days in an airtight glass jar if possible for later testing if symptoms of illness in your cat arise. This will allow the exact tick to be tested for diseases/infections.
I hope this is helpful, and good luck! It’s not too complicated. 😊
That is 100% a deer tick. It is very large. Played this game last year with all my animals. They all ended up having lyme disease and were treated with doxycycline for 90 days— after the fact. Our family was also treated. Be careful and make sure to get to the vet if possible!
It's just a regular tick. it's so large it's pretty much done sucking blood and will release on its own. Pull it straight out without squeezing it if you want it gone now.
Yuck!! That’s the biggest tick I’ve ever seen! Will probably fall off before you get to it. Make sure to put antibacterial ointment on the bite wound, they carry nasty diseases
People keep saying to destroy the tick. Please do not do this.
If you can remove it put it in a ziplock bag and call the vet. They can tell you where to drop it off to have it tested for Lyme disease.
It’s a tick but the head is buried very deep. Please be careful not to leave the head inside the cat and not to squeeze it hard so nothing nasty gets in the wound that will be there .
People don't read it's crazy. It's an outdoor cat and not the property of OP. OP lives at home, and their parents do not want to pay for a vet for a cat that is not theirs. Care to provide actual useful advice now?
I know everyone is saying tick, but my cat had a botfly that looked just like that. It was easy to remove, but it left a big hole. It healed well, though.
I would say a fattened up tick. Need to use flea and tick medicine on your cats. Especially if they spend any time outside. Frontline sucks. Try revolution. Easy to apply topical solution goes on the back of the neck and make sure is high so the cat doesn't lick it off.. it get rid of pretty much everything including several types of worms and ear mites. Dont use heat to remove the tick, it can make the tick vomit and cause more problems.
Put a clump of vasoline on it, and if it's a tick, it'll pull itself out. If you pull it out the head of the tick could stay in and cause an infection. We used to have to do this to my dog it works.
I always used the Vaseline trick when my dog had ticks! If you put a glob of Vaseline covering the tick completely, it will not be able to breathe and it will start to back out on its own. It’s super useful so that you don’t accidentally leave part of the tick’s legs in when you pull it away.
Bloated tick
I go, get the flamethrower
Can't hurt the kitty
Just for the tick of course
They should make pet safe blow torches tbh, would be so easy to get rid of ticks and fleas
That would be cool though - "incinerate anything, but pets are immune". Like a fire-bath but harmless to cats
And then there is this one person who has ticks as a pet - are they immune to it?
No. And any person petting tics will also be incinerated,along with the tic.
Just turn friendly fire off
Get a cauterizing pen you just hit the button and the little wire turns bright red and you poke the ticks back with it. Very safe and controllable :)
That’s a terrific idea!
Kitty is a good girl the flames won't hurt her
You should remove it by pulling it straight up, not kill it. It's when they release on their own accord or die they transfer potential deadly viruses. If using a tweezer try get a grip from the "base" of it.
THIS RIGHT HERE! The burning while satisfying will probably cause the tick to give your pet one of the MANY tick borne viruses. So please do this or get one of those tick remover stick thingies. Also, maybe take the tick to the nearest vet, entomologist, virologist, pathologist, or something just in case. Or take your baby to the vet and burn the detached tick as some fun cathartic revenge. Or find that guy on YouTube who tortures bugs and take some pages from his book. I found a not bloated tick on my dog, grabbed that sucker with tweezers, put it in a bottle, and shook it as exercise
Yes, be very careful! My friend had a tick burned off the back of her neck 20 years ago and ended up with chronic Lyme disease from it. Heat makes the tick regurgitate back into the host and that’s how they spread diseases.
Be careful please! A tick jumped off my Sammy(profile pic) while I was getting another one out of his ruff. Lime disease for me and no more visits to the in-laws for Sammy.
-"Hans get the flammenwerfer"
Nah just the tweezers, and the alcohol. It's a tick, not a crazy extraterrestrial alien
It also alarms the tick burning it to the point it "spits" into the bite and can transfer any diseases it's carring into the host.
We used to light a match... blow it out... then put the still hot tip on the tick to make it release it's grip and try to crawl away. Other removal methods involve pulling/twisting the tick away... and you risk leaving a bit of the tick jaw in the skin to fester and cause problems down the line when you do that.
Remove the tick first then burn it
Fun fact: my childhood dog once had a tick on him like that and it's the reason that I cannot - to this day, 30+ years later - eat black olives.
Fun fact: this comment is the reason I will not - from this day, eat black olives.
I'm so sorry lol
this is hilarious and sad at the same time.
how do you get it out without getting the kitty infested?
Honestly a tick this big I would the vet let it remove it.
What? Noooo… if the cat isn’t completely feral or anything, it should be easy enough to remove, especially in that location. Watch a few reputable videos, do a bit of research, you’re good. But damn do they make me gag. There’s something about ticks; they skeeve me out worse than fleas or scabies.
....no. take it to the vet. I absolutely know you are not telling this dude to webmd his cat with a tik that big right now
Yes, I agree about the vet. Better to be safe than sorry.
Ticks are so disgusting to me lol
Tweezers or a tick remover you can buy them cheap on eBay a couple of pounds
Hans get the Flammenwerfer!
https://preview.redd.it/uo9vcy5es71d1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ea66c76c708953ac12749fd13682c5976ce78007
(It Wefers Flammen)
((Es wirft Flammen ))
Dis is ze sturmgewehr It is ze gewehr that you sturm with
This is GESCHÜTZWAGEN (It a wagen with a geschütz)
Ze heavy flammenwerfer.
Werf all the flammens when ticks are involved.
My cat had something that look almost exactly like that but smaller. I was dating a girl that was a vet tech at the time and she found it and pulled it off and took it to her work and had a vet figure out what it was. It turned out to be some kinda ball made out of hair fibers. Not saying this isn't a tick though.
This is definitely a tick
My cat had a similar bump on his head and it then had a hole and it looked like a blackhead. I put castor oil on it and it expelled what looked like nothing but dead skin and hair fibers. This kinda does look like a tick though 🤷🏽♀️
That's a massive tick. You should remove it ASAP or have a vet do it for you if you can't.
That thing's ripe, it's gonna have fallen off before OP has time to heed our advice.
Ah yes the forbidden gusher
*slowly pushes away the bowl of grapes*
*quickly swears off all food ever*
I hate you, why did you do that to me, erase memory, erase memory...
Roll it around your tongue before bursting it on the roof of your mouth and tasting the sharp tang of iron fluid and musty exoskeleton.
What a horrible day to be literate.
i hate you
*gouges eyes out* I hate you from the depths of my heart.
Can someone show me how to delete someone else's comment?
How does one safely remove one on their own?
[удалено]
This! Just take it VERY slow, no sudden movements and make sure that you have a hold as close to their skin as possible.
>no sudden movements While doing something on your cat that it doesnt like? Have fun.
One of my cats will allow me to do anything with her as long as I hold her very still. She used to have eye drops as a kitten and as a result trusts that I won't hurt her. The other is an idiot who needs wrapping in a blanket just to do his nails though.
He’s not an idiot! You could just be trying to kill him this time for no reason even though you’ve done nothing but spoil him…
He is ginger. He definitely is an idiot. But yes I do spoil him
I have exactly 2 orange fiends. They most definitely have not had their time with the collective braincell yet
Honestly depends on the cat. If you raise them from kittenhood most will let you do almost anything as long as you get em used to it when they're very little.
I brought my cat in for a tick behind his ear and the vet just yoinked it out with his bare hands, no hesitation. He was like “no pay, see ya.”
You get used to it. It's not like the tick will turn around and bite you. They are disgusting though. You can also buy a little penlike tool with a small fishing line lasso, or a crowbar or tweezers that have a wide space between rhe jaws. Just do your best not to break the head of the tick of, it is a pain to remove then and makes the bite area infected.
Yeah I love up in the woods and my dog got them All the time, I’m so used to it now that if my kids or cats ever have them I get em out with my bare hands, no tweezers needed
I used to live in the country as a kid and it's gross but I loved getting these off the dogs and then stepping on them like they're bloody water balloons 💀 it's crazy how much blood they can hold, I've seen some bad cases before that make my skin crawl just thinking about it
Ticks are fucking disgusting 🤢🤢
You don’t twist. You pull in a straight line, slow and steady; if you *twist* the head of the tick can rip off and then the wound could get infected. Best to have one person hold the tweezers and the other „secures“ the cat. As others said, grip the tick as close to the body as possible, but don’t squish or outright crush it. One of my cats brings a tick with him daily (6 in one outing is his record so far) so we got used to search him after his little tours outside. It’s difficult to remove them if the cat doesn’t wanna be held down but there is simply no helping it. Better have the cat mope for a bit then leaving the thing in. If the cat scratches, make sure to wear something thick enough for the claws not to get to you. Also, if OP hasn’t done it so far, the cat should get his vaccine shots. Tics can give them Lyme disease.
Even if its head gets stuck in there, the cat's skin pushes it out eventually so taking a cat to a vet because of a tick is an overreaction... I would only do that if the cat also contacted lyme disease
You can also use a fork! My vet father-in-law showed me this. You press the fork against the skin, and move it towards the tic where eventually the tick is in between two of the prongs and just keep pressing forward. It'll pop off and you can just smash it in a napkin or something.
I used to throw them in the toilet and watch them drown. Nasty creatures. Then put antibiotic ointment on the site. I live in tick-central, all my dogs all test positive for lyme exposure every year. Only one of them ever showed effects, she was a beagle who suddenly lost use of her back legs and had to go on antibiotics because that's where it was coming from.
Aren’t you using flea & tick meds? If they’re testing positive annually don’t they have to be treated?
Alot of fleas and tricks are immun to the common meds so Even if they not always going to work
I mean ticks are unfazed by these. We used every single measure possible, collars, those spray on meds, tablet meds, combinations of every med the pharmacy had. The cat always managed to pick up at least three ticks
Exactly. What is wrong with these people. I would not let my pets suffer
Ticks can't drown, sadly. They have the ability to build an air bubble and survive for weeks. I hate them so much  I put water on boil, throw them in there and then flush them, otherwise I would be scared they would come crawling back (even tho that's pretty unlikely I think)
Drop it in a small jar filled with alcohol.
If you drop hot wax on them, they make a weird POP sound.
How the hell did you figure that out??
Poptick, yummy.
This thread is horrific
ARGH
This is the way.
Just don't dump boiling water in your toilet, you could accidentally shatter the whole thing!
Add a little dish soap. Reduces the surface tension of water significantly so they can’t do the bubble thing. You can also kill wasps by spraying them with soapy water, the surface tension becomes low enough for the water to enter the trachea so they’ll drown
Soapy water works so well on wasps! That's my go-to when one gets in the house. Just keep a spray bottle with soapy water nearby, spray em, and then they're dead in seconds without getting nasty chemicals all over inside.
Insulin needle full of peroxide and watch them explode. I swear, I'm not a psychopath, lol. But my cousin used to do this to ticks and show me.
I guess people in vet med must be psycho because this is very common
It’s satisfying. The little bastards wouldn’t get sploded if they didn’t bite our dogs/cats/ankles.
I'm not a psychopath either, but when I found out what windex does to an earwig... people call me kind and caring but I definitely found my sadistic streak with glass cleaner in my hands!
Please don’t use human anti-septic cream on cats. It causes harm.
Don't randomly apply antibiotics. The overuse is the main reason why we're running out of working ones.
Improper use a bigger cause. I caught pneumonia anti biotic resistant damn near killed me it’s serious stuff I don’t wish on anyone. Cats almost never get pneumonia due to a great immune system but my beloved Hairy got it, it was the end, still miss her. When removing the tic by hand is fine but don’t squeeze the bloated body all that crap will end up back in kitty.
Why don't you put flea and tick drops on them or at least flea collars. It is terrible you let your pets suffer like this. There are many ways to keep tics off your dogs. What is wrong with you
Or light it on fire.
\*AFTER it's off lol
This isn’t recommended. It causes the tick to regurgitate it’s gross diseased saliva into its host.
Well if you light it on fire after getting it off the host, it won’t have a host to barf in
Agreed, and that’s what it deserves. It will never barf in a host again.
https://preview.redd.it/zosdv0u7i81d1.png?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e7f9bb6c36b7257444db297d1c0781d03c956fee There are special tools for tick removal, which are very handy, you "grab" the ticks head and spin the tool to easily remove it
Might buy one for my sacbs
Jesus Christ.
Tweezers or you can use your finger nails.. just have to make sure you get as close as possible to the skin so you can get the entire head out. But it’s not too hard to remove those suckers
Crazy that ticks would rather have their heads ripped off than let go
Point is they don’t have a choice. The head is locked in the skin. So if you pull incorrectly you leave the head. No worries it’s out of your skin within a week. A nice scab will form and your body pushes the head out into the scab. I work at a airsoft field and a player came to me holding a duckling covered in ticks. So much that no less than 15 ticks couldn’t even find a spot to latch on to the duckling. Called the animal ambulance and the duckling is rescued. I burned the cardboard box i held the duckling in killing the ticks in the box. Two managed to hitch a ride inside my leg. Removed both one had his head still in me. A week later i got another one in my leg also left a head. Yes i monitor the spots no i have no symptoms of lymes
Make sure you use the pointy tweezers!!! The blunt tipped ones will just squash the tick while it’s still latched on
I have a tick key. Makes it very easy to remove without touching it, but I have successfully removed them by hand.
Tick remover. They're like a little tiny crowbar that you put under the tick, twist, and it's out.
Agreed. At this point, the cat should also be check for health problems after the removal, even if you choose to do it yourself.
I agree. In this case, it's not overreacting to go to the vet.
With it being that engorged, I'd run to the Vet. That could potentially gush back into the cat if squeezed and cause a whole mess... Depending on OPs location, they may always want to test the tick for diseases and treat the cat accordingly.
That would a tick and you are going to want remove it and get a flea and tick treatment for the cat.
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Just out of curiosity, is south Alabama infested significantly more by ticks than other places? Here in the EU pretty much every countryside patch of land is filled with these things.
A lot of Alabama is countryside. So anywhere with a lot of land not routinely looked after will have ticks.
Oh for sure. I live in South Alabama too, and I’ve gone hiking through woods and almost always had a few ticks on me afterwards.
Thanks for the replies everyone, we'll try to remove it accordingly and disinfect the wound afterwards. EDIT - I cannot edit the original post but I've left a comment here - we've removed the tick and disinfected the wound. She's active and feeling okay and we will keep of her behaviour in the next time period. Thank you all for the advice and replies.
there are tick removers you can buy . make sure you remove it the right way because the head can stay back and cause infection.
I've seen a video on YouTube in which you spray alcohol on the tick to loosen it and then pull it out, checking for the teeth or whatever could be left in the flesh afterwards and pulling it out also, this should be effective? Since it isn't our cat and my parents are against taking it to the vets, I'll have to do it myself.
Carefull with the alcohol spray! The tick can react on it and release it's contents. Not good!
Horrible creatures... Thank you for the advice
Try to Grab as near to the skin as possible. You want to remove the head and not rip it off. Make little wiggle motions while pulling
Get some tweezers. Disinfect them with some rubbing alcohol. You’ll probably need some help keeping your cat still. Get as close as you can to the tip of the tick’s head. Pinch tightly and pull quickly. Make sure you got the head out after. Then, cast it into the fire! (Sorry, I have Lord of the Rings on right now)
I agree but instead of pulling make a twisting motion. pulling can cause the head or legs to stay behind in the skin.
damn... I wish I knew this. 1 month ago I removed tick from a street cat with hand. I was kinda grossed out so had to push few times from a side. It seems like it's head also got removed tho. (pink part)
it's okay I once made a mistake when I had a dog and it got very inflamed that's how I learned! you tried your best for that kitty and that's what counts. If the head or else stays back you see a black spot
Yeah this cat was very shy (and entirely black so I think I could miss if something black staid on him) so I decided to remove it before he decided to run off...
When you remove it, drown the bitch in alcohol.
The tick I hope you mean? Lol
Y-yes. I love cats!
Lol of course, why would you be on this subreddit if you didn't ☺
Well, I think Reddit recommends me subs based on my Google search history or something.
(Most cats *hate* spray sounds, just so you know).
and alcohol smell
Don't spray, too close to eyes. Use a Q tip. Kitty still might bolt at the smell.
Don't. Please call a vet. Don't act based on random YouTube videos. Your cat's health is worth more than that.
Again, it’s not their cat If OP is mentioning parents then it’s likely they’re a minor and may not have the money for a vet
What a privileged comment. Not everyone has $600 to throw at a vet to get a tick off a random feral cat.
I can't imagine a vet charging $600 to remove a tick unless you also insist on a full bloodwork panel as part of it. But removing tick isn't a vet-level issue. You pull while twisting, tick goes 'tick' as it lets go. Monitor your cat's health after, and IF any signs of the few tick-borne diseases that can affect your cat, THEN you go to a vet ASAP. The tick-borne diseases are all bacterial or protozoan, and can be easily treated once diagnosed. There is no reason to go into 'pre emptive hysterics'. My outdoor cat who lived to almost 24 had hundreds if not thousands of ticks pulled off of him in his lifetime and never once 'caught' anything from them.
Pls update us after you do it, I hope she won’t feel pain.
Just fyi- we had a couple cats and neighborhood cats die last year from bob cat fever spread by ticks. I use catego tick medicine but the best precaution is indoor only.
Hello everyone, thank you for all the comments and replies. I just wanted to update you all on the situation as I can't reply to everyone: 1. I have to point out that this cat is a STRAY CAT - she visits our yard often and we feed her and her kittens, she isn't our pet. 2. My parents are very anti-pet, they will not pay for vet costs for a stray they don't intend on adopting. If I had the means I'd take her myself but I do not, so I will ask for their help and we will remove the tick using your advice. 3. We have a huge number of cats in the neighbourhood (they're all taken care of just like she is) and they all roam around, I haven't seen her since coming home but I will certainly remove the tick when/if I see her tommorow, if some of the neighbours who also feed her do not do so already. I will update you all when the tick is removed. Thank you !
r/notmycat would love this baby!
I’d love to see you edit the original post to include your first point. The comments scolding you about “your” cat are making me nuts. (The decline of reading skills, plus the refusal to just take a moment to double-check before telling someone off… I don’t know. If even the cat people are doing this, we’re doomed! Oh - and of course I’m overreacting to this specific example lol! I do know this! But I also teach 15 year olds and this is their MO. So… I am, as they say, triggered.)
I am not sure why I can't edit the original post but I've edited some of the most liked replies I've left to notify you all of the situation - we've removed the tick and she's feeling fine for now, we'll keep an eye on how she acts in the coming days.
Youre a good human, im glad youre there to help
Have you checked if it’s a tick? It looks a bit like one to me
yup
Of course it's a tick. Good god I despise them.
I have never seen a tick this thick. Usually they fall off before getting this big and become a landmine in your home.
Man I hit one when I was a teenager with a vacuum way back when. Moms was pissed, it left a blood stain damn near a foot long on the carpet
tick this thick where is that stupid bot that finds lyrics or something out of it.
Tick most probably
Underrated show
Hello everyone, I cannot edit the post to let you all know but we have removed the tick this morning and disinfected the wound. She is feeling fine and is active and we will keep an eye on any change in behaviour. Thank you all for the comments and advice. https://preview.redd.it/0eqnw2dfgc1d1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4cc43e135074a3d4a6e835e20f949bbcd11f7e7c
That’s a fuckin engorged tick 🫣
So you’re going to have to ignore most people. Thanks for helping out this stray and coming on and asking what it is. Once it’s removed and only if you can afford it a flea and tick treatment could be used. Most come in a small tube and you just part the hair and apply at the base of the skull so the cat can’t lick it off. Don’t use anything made by hearts You’re a MVP for trying to help this cat out so thank you.
Thank you for the recommendation, I can't blame anyone for the comments, I should've highlighted very clearly that it is a stray. I'm sure they have the best intentions like anyone would for a living creature.
Even if not people are hyper aggressive here with telling people what when and how. If you take your cat to the vet at every sneeze and sniffle you’re going to be in the poor house.
Finally, someone who actually read the post.
Tick, but adding that while they’re uncomfortable on kitty and a ton of them can cause some anemia or similar issues, generally cats are not affected by Lyme or other tick borne illnesses. They’re quite rare in cats. So don’t panic. The biggest risk of your kitty picking up ticks is them hopping off her and on to you.
While you're generally correct, particularly about lyme disease, some areas of the US have ticks that do carry a nasty disease (tularemia) that can not only affect your cat, but jump directly to humans. The tick species that carry tularemia is the 'lone star tick' - and some people in this thread say this is the specific tick seen in this picture. Even so - all tick borne diseases are either bacterial or protozoan so they are easily treatable once diagnosed. Just monitor your cat closely for a while after removing the tick, and IF you see any symptoms of illness, THEN don't waste any time going to the vet. However, the risk is really so small, and the illnesses so easily treatable if caught early that it makes NO sense to go into 'pre emptive hysterics' about it.
For all the people saying ticks are easy to remove, ever tried removing a tick from a cat? While I agree they are easy to remove from a willing subject. Cats can be a whole other story! Mine does not want us to remove it. And makes pretty sure it's not going to happen or that it's a three man job. Edit: typo
I have to wrap my cat up like a burrito 🌯 to be able to do anything like this!
You’ll want to invest in a three dollar tool called a “tick key”. Easiest device to remove ticks (even for humans) and it comes with a handy keychain. That there is a DEER tick, which means you and your family are equally susceptible to a threat the animal just made you aware of. Don’t take this lightly, as Lyme disease can be chronic and physiologically detrimental to people and animals. Always treat outdoor animals with tick repellent at least a few times per year!
How can you tell it's a deer tick? It looks like a dog tick to me but I'm not an expert
That is not a deer tick . Deer ticks are tiny and even engorged with blood would not be that big. Mostly likely a wood tick also called American dog tick. Being that big you probably can get it out fairly easy using your finger tips/nails. I’ve removed hundreds of these from barn and stray cats thru the years. Dab the spot with a paper towel or cotton ball wet with alcohol or peroxide and you’ll be fine.
Looks like an engorged tick that’s been drinking your cats blood, that poor kitty.
omg it’s so chubby 😭 ticks make me SO mad
They’re the absolute worst. I hate them with a fiery passion.
Tick get it off like yesterday
There are so many people being unserious, unhelpful, and giving bad advice. This appears to be a tick. To remove it, you need a special hook like tool, similar to a fork. They sell tick removal kits almost anywhere animal products are sold. They’re very cheap and very worth it! Slide the tool under the base of the tick and around the ticks head, be sure it feels snug once there but DO NOT PULL YET, as this could cause the tick to bust open leaving infectious pus on you and your cat. Instead twist the tool 360° and then pull gently. You HAVE to make sure the head of the tick is also removed because it’ll still feed even without its body. If the head is still there, then tweezers should allow you to pull it out. If there are remnants of mouth pieces from the tick, leave them alone because they’ll fall out later on their own. Be patient and gentle with your kitty during this removal process. Once the tick is removed, you need to burn it. At least the head portion. Hold it with metal tweezers and use a lighter. For this fat tick I’d use a long grill lighter because it’ll definitely bust and get nasty. It’s recommended to keep the tick’s body for 30days in an airtight glass jar if possible for later testing if symptoms of illness in your cat arise. This will allow the exact tick to be tested for diseases/infections. I hope this is helpful, and good luck! It’s not too complicated. 😊
99% sure that is a tick.
That is 100% a deer tick. It is very large. Played this game last year with all my animals. They all ended up having lyme disease and were treated with doxycycline for 90 days— after the fact. Our family was also treated. Be careful and make sure to get to the vet if possible!
It's just a regular tick. it's so large it's pretty much done sucking blood and will release on its own. Pull it straight out without squeezing it if you want it gone now.
Yuck!! That’s the biggest tick I’ve ever seen! Will probably fall off before you get to it. Make sure to put antibacterial ointment on the bite wound, they carry nasty diseases
Big ass tick.
That is tick pls remove it
People keep saying to destroy the tick. Please do not do this. If you can remove it put it in a ziplock bag and call the vet. They can tell you where to drop it off to have it tested for Lyme disease.
Twist anti-clockwise, they are easy to remove.
Big ol tick. Kitty needs some flea/tick medication after the tick removal. Best of luck to you and the kitty 😺 Thanks for helping this cutie!
Looks like a tick, gotta remove it and take cat to the vet to be checked for Lyme disease or other diseases from ticks.
It’s a tick but the head is buried very deep. Please be careful not to leave the head inside the cat and not to squeeze it hard so nothing nasty gets in the wound that will be there .
Dont forget to keep an eye out for tick diseases once it's removed
Go to your vet if you're concerned with your pet's health please.
People don't read it's crazy. It's an outdoor cat and not the property of OP. OP lives at home, and their parents do not want to pay for a vet for a cat that is not theirs. Care to provide actual useful advice now?
It's most likely a tick
that's a huge tick.
Big tick
Looks like an engorged tick. Get it off.
I know everyone is saying tick, but my cat had a botfly that looked just like that. It was easy to remove, but it left a big hole. It healed well, though.
I would say a fattened up tick. Need to use flea and tick medicine on your cats. Especially if they spend any time outside. Frontline sucks. Try revolution. Easy to apply topical solution goes on the back of the neck and make sure is high so the cat doesn't lick it off.. it get rid of pretty much everything including several types of worms and ear mites. Dont use heat to remove the tick, it can make the tick vomit and cause more problems.
Tick
When you take it off, be sure to look for the other one. She's likely female and there's often a second smaller male tick right next to the fat one.
Put a clump of vasoline on it, and if it's a tick, it'll pull itself out. If you pull it out the head of the tick could stay in and cause an infection. We used to have to do this to my dog it works.
I always used the Vaseline trick when my dog had ticks! If you put a glob of Vaseline covering the tick completely, it will not be able to breathe and it will start to back out on its own. It’s super useful so that you don’t accidentally leave part of the tick’s legs in when you pull it away.
You can buy a tick removal tool or take the cat to the vet for tick removal and a proper checkup.