Tick in my cats head!!

[robynm2006]

My cat is 7 months old,
He had a tick in the back of his head, first time. My mother from experience with her past cats knows if you get it out you must get the head as it causes infection or even an absuss,(not sure on spelling) so we held him down while she removed it with tweezers and his head was on its way out when the cat moved and the body come out withouot the head and now the head is still inside him and we can see it but he wont stay still enough for us to get it out and it may hard to get it out as theres not a lot to grab hold of to pull it out. What can i do to help stop infection? and is there anything that will ease the head out easier?? thanks for any help.

 

[carolina]

I don't know how to help this person, but I am bumping this up in hopes that someone else can...

 

[Willowy]

As I always post in the dog forum.....if ticks/tick heads caused a lot of problems, there wouldn't be a farm dog/cat left in the entire world

. Most of the time it's no big deal. Just keep an eye on it and call the vet if it gets red and oozy. It probably won't. It'll work itself out in time.

There are special tick removers you can use to pull the entire tick out easily. Personally I just use a flea comb. It grabs the tick behind the head and it pulls out without a problem.

If you have deer ticks in your area, you should ask your vet about Lyme Disease. But around here it's only dog ticks, so I'm not really up-to-date on tick-borne diseases.

 

[jennyr]

it is a nuisance when that happens, but ticks can be hard to pull out intact. It is a good idea to keep a tick tweezer in case - you can get them at a pharmacy. Don't use one of the ones that you have to heat up - the cats just struggle more and then you can burn the cat as well as the tick.

Right now I would put a few drops of antiseptic on the place, and keep doing that for a few days. It may take a fortnight or even more for the head to work itself out. If it shows any sign of infection such as swelling or redness then you must get the cat to a vet, as it could develop into a nasty abscess that will cost more to treat.

 

[momofmany]

Originally Posted by Willowy

Most of the time it's no big deal. Just keep an eye on it and call the vet if it gets red and oozy. It probably won't. It'll work itself out in time.

I agree, and don't be surprised if it leaves a bump at the site. I was bitten by a tick about 10 years ago and I still have a pimple sized red bump at the site. It isn't causing harm, it's just an eye sore. On the other hand, I was bit by a tick one time and it did swell and got full of puss. That one I did go to the doctor for, and it did turn out to be lyme disease.