Ticks take on this bloated look after they have gorged
themselves with blood
Ticks are members of the class Arachnida, which includes
spiders, scorpions, daddy longlegs, and mites, of which there are over 30,000
species so far recorded. There are approximately 850 species of ticks
world-wide. All ticks are carnivorous,
feeding on blood. They bury deep under the skin, and are difficult to remove, if
part of the tick is left in the skin an abscess will develop causing more
problems. The most effective way to remove a tick is to anaesthetize it with
alcohol, it will then release its grip and can be removed in its entirety with a
pair of tweezers.
The most common ticks found in the UK are the sheep and hedgehog
(cattle) ticks. These are less dangerous than in many overseas countries,
although increased foreign travel
and a relaxation of the quarantine laws
has seen more exotic ticks being imported into the UK.
Ticks
are more commonly found in long grasses, fields where sheep have been,
moorland and woodland. The hedgehog tick can also be found in your garden. Most
UK ticks are "hard ticks" meaning that they have a hard shell to
protect them. When the tick bites onto the skin the host can develop diseases
that can occur in both humans and animals.
The following are warning signs that your cat may have been
bitten by a tick:
Contact your veterinarian immediately. If you remove any of the ticks from
your cat, save them in a bottle, as your veterinarian may want to examine them
in order to determine what type of ticks they were.
