Cat tick remedies

By biological classification ticks belong to the animal kingdom. Many mistakenly consider them insects. But such an opinion has a right to exist, since the same drugs act on ticks as on insects. Therefore, the tick remedy for cats and dogs is more often used as “against fleas and ticks”. But when it comes to ticks, it must be borne in mind that any flea repellent acts 2 times longer. We'll have to use drugs 2 times more often to protect animals from ticks.

Types of protective equipment

There are 5 types of protective equipment:

• collar;
• spray;
• powder;
• drops at the withers;
• tablets.

Flea and tick shampoo is a “one-time” preparation. It is used before using products with a longer period of protection. Manufacturer's recommendations: wash the animal with shampoo, and then use another tool.

Why tick protection is needed

In recent years, the owners of animals sharply faced the problem of explosive growth of the tick population. And it's not about tick-borne encephalitis, whose carriers among arthropods are not so many. A much worse disease is pyroplasmosis, the causative agent of which is the simplest organism of the genus babesia.

Dogs sometimes get sick pyroplasmosis several times a season. Availability pyroplasmosis / feline babesiosis in Russia is still in question. Initially, this is an African disease. But few people want to be convinced of the presence of a parasite on Russian territory, using their pet as an experimental animal.

On a note!

In addition to babesiosis, ticks carry many other diseases that are dangerous not only for animals, but also for man.

Which remedy is better to choose

The owner of the animal is faced with the task of protecting the cat not even from the tick itself, but from its bite. For this, it is necessary that the arthropod cannot even crawl onto the cat. Ticks await the victim on the grass. If the cat shakes off the parasite, the tick must try to escape or die quickly. Not all means of fleas and ticks for cats can protect an animal from a bite.

Drops from fleas and ticks at the withers

The action of drops is based on the fact that the toxic substance is absorbed into the skin and distributed in the upper layer of the epidermis. When applying drops You can not be afraid that they will be washed away by dew or, the cat will lick them in the process of washing. But parasites must first bite the animal in order to die. Namely, the bite is dangerous for the cat. It will seem to the owner that he managed to save the cat from ticks, but in reality a person simply will not see the appearance of a bloodsucker.

Tablets

In the understanding of English-speaking experts, this tool is called so. But it looks like small briquettes. Animals eat them on their own. The most effective remedy if the cat is categorically against treatment. A serious advantage of briquettes is that it is not only a drug against ticks and fleas, but also a medicine for worms. By feeding the briquette, the owner simultaneously processes the cat and from internal parasites. Are acting tablets within 6 months from fleas and 3 from ticks.

The minus is the same as in the drops at the withers.Briquettes kill ticks, but do not scare them away. This means that the tick will bite the cat and only after that will die.

On a note!

There are fears that the substances used in drops and briquettes have a bad effect on the liver. The reason for fear is that these drugs penetrate the body and remain there for a long time. Reviews of veterinarians do not confirm this yet, but briquettes have appeared relatively recently. Statistics have not yet been gathered.

Spray

The spray for cats from ticks and fleas is the same as for dogs. Put on the wool along the ridge and slightly rubbed. After drying, the spray is not dangerous for the cat. The smell of the active substance repels parasites. Thanks to this, neither insects nor arthropods will bite the cat. But the spray requires frequent updates and can be washed off with water. In addition, most cats can not stand the hiss of spray and pungent smell. Sprays are made on the basis of ethers for drying as quickly as possible. An attempt to treat the cat from ticks with the help of a spray often develops into full-fledged fighting. And the winner is the cat.

Powder

The difference between the powder and the spray is that the first one does not hiss when shaking it on the coat. But if the animal is suspicious of any manipulations, then here the processing of a cat may encounter difficulties in catching and keeping the animal in one place. Otherwise, the principle is similar: the cat is powdered and rubbed into the coat.

Cons and pros are the same as in the spray: the smell of powder repels parasites, but the powder can be washed off with water. The cat is also able to lick powder when washing.

Collar

The easiest way to protect a cat from ticks in the country. IN collar “Impressed” is the same substance that is used in other products of a particular brand. But the collar is relatively resistant to getting wet. It is not necessary to bathe the beast with him, but the collar will withstand dew and rain. A cat cannot lick an insecticide from it. The collar operates longer than powder and spray, but less briquettes. With a validity / risk ratio for a pet, a collar is a good way to protect a cat. Putting it on also does not take much time and does not bother the pet.

Active substances

All preparations for cats from ticks and fleas are made with different active ingredients. The best option: periodically change the brand so that the parasites do not get used to the poison. With all the variety of means protecting against ticks and fleas, the set of active substances is limited:

• imidacloprid;
• propoxur;
• fipronil;
• fluralaner;
• margose oil;
• diazinon;
• selamectin;
• tetrachlorvinphos;
• essential oils.

Bayer uses imidacloprid and propoxur. But even with the same active substance (imidaclopride), the duration of the drug may be different: the Foresto collar “works” up to 8 months, and drops lawyer only 1 month. Drops are almost 3 times cheaper, but it is better to use a collar to protect cats from fleas and ticks. It will end up being cheaper. Propoxur Bayer is used in the manufacture of spray.

The domestic company Agrovetzashchita uses fipronil in drops at the withers. Drops are protected from ticks for 1 month.

Feedback

I took drops Bars from Agro-protection. Now they are praised even more than promoted foreign brands. She herself was surprised, but the drops worked. Before that I used very cheap Butox and Neocidol, but they did not work at all. Either they were fakes, or by themselves they are.

Alena Tretyakova, Moscow

Drops on the withers for cats from the company Bravecto contain fluralaner. Protection against parasites 3 months. Compared to Bolfo, they lose in price.

On a note!

The Dutch company Bifar produces collars for cats based on a natural substance - margose oil. A period of protection against ticks (4 months) and a low price make this product the best tool for cats.

For kittens

Most chemical insecticides have a limitation: they cannot be used on very small kittens.The use of most drugs is expected on kittens older than 2 months. If we are talking about drops, then one pipette is designed for an already adult, albeit not large cat. For a kitten, such a dose would be unnecessary. But the owner will have to determine the required dosage by eye. At home and in the presence of an inverted kitten, it is very difficult to do.

Important!

The choice of funds for kittens should be approached carefully. Especially if in the future they are breeding animals. Large amounts of chemical insecticides can interfere with animal reproductive functions.

Drugs with natural essential oils cannot be overdosed. And the kitten doesn’t like it either. Therefore, for kittens from fleas and ticks, you can use tools:

• Bifar spray from Bifar based on lavender oil, but the spray gives protection only for a week, then the treatment must be repeated;
• Sentry spray based on clove oil; tick protection 2 weeks;
• Bifar collar from Bifar with margosa oil can suit a kitten if it can be reduced in length (35 cm is an adult cat), protection from ticks is 4 months;
• drops on the withers from Bifar with margoza extract are made especially for kittens weighing less than 2 kg, they will successfully replace the collar, but give protection for 1 month.

Feedback

I have been a fan of Bifar since his first appearance in the country. Then these funds for cats were very expensive. Then they soured, I stopped buying. And now the company entered the market with bioprotection. I really like the smell of lavender. So buy my cats a spray with lavender. And repeating the processing is easy. My cats are calm

Ekaterina Gorodilina, Khimki

Owner opinions

Reviews of tick remedies periodically change from positive to negative. It depends on the popularity of the brand and the benefits that can be obtained from a fake. Sometimes, when starting production in another country, in order to reduce production costs, the quality of the products is worsened. Such a chain was with the successive appearance in Russia of foreign firms: Bolfo - Bifar - Front line. Initially, very high-quality products later began to receive negative reviews due to fakes.