How to Remove a Tick from a Cat

We love cats because they’re independent little adventurers. They head out by themselves, socialise on their own terms, wander around like they own the street and come back when they’ve decided they’re ready, usually because they’re hungry…

And while that independent streak is one of the best things about them, it does mean outdoor cats are more likely to come across a few pesky little critters along the way, especially ticks. These tiny parasites can attach to your cat’s skin while they’re exploring long grass, hedgerows, gardens, parks or woodland areas, and although they’re not something any cat owner wants to deal with, they do come with the territory if your feline friend likes to roam.

But while finding a tick on your cat can feel a little gross, and maybe slightly panic-inducing the first time, it’s usually straightforward to deal with once you know what you’re looking for and how to remove it safely. The key is to stay calm, avoid the old home remedies, and use the right technique so you don’t squeeze the tick or leave parts behind.

So, if you’ve spotted something suspicious in your cat’s fur, or you simply want to be prepared before tick season arrives, this guide will walk you through how to remove a tick from a cat safely and how to help protect your cat from ticks in the future.

Ticks are a little gross, we get that, but they’re also pretty interesting little creatures. Mainly because they’re not insects like a lot of people assume but actually arachnids, which means they’re related to spiders. They have eight legs, attach to your cat’s skin and feed on their blood, usually staying in place for several days if they aren’t removed.

They can be tiny at first, sometimes only around 1mm long, which makes them easy to miss in your cat’s fur. These small, unfed ticks are usually flat and reddish brown but once they start feeding, they typically become darker, rounder and larger, often looking like a small grey-brown lump attached to the skin.

Cats usually pick up ticks when they brush through long grass, bracken, hedgerows, woodland, parks or even gardens where ticks are waiting on vegetation for an animal to pass by. They’re found across the UK, with higher-risk areas including places like the Scottish Highlands, the Lake District, southern England and South West England, but your cat doesn’t need to be climbing mountains to come across one. Suburban gardens and local green spaces can play host to them too.

Ticks are most active between March and October, especially during spring and autumn, although mild winters can mean they’re around for longer. Most tick bites on cats only cause mild irritation, but some ticks can carry bacteria and diseases, including Borrelia burgdorferi, which causes Lyme disease. That’s why it’s worth checking your cat regularly and removing ticks safely as soon as you find them.

Checking your cat for ticks regularly, especially during tick season, is definitely worth it if they spend much of their day exploring outdoors. It’s not a difficult thing to do and it can really save the trouble of having a larger problem on your hands in the future. You’re best off picking a calm moment, ideally when your cat is already relaxed, and slowly run your hands through their fur from head to tail, so you can feel for any small bumps against the skin.

Ticks can be easy to miss but they’ll feel like a small raised lump, a bit like a scab. It’s a good idea to part the fur as you inspect too, just to make sure there’s none hidden within their fur, especially if your cat is a thick coated feline.

Key places to check include:

• Ears: Check both inside and outside the ears, as ticks often like warm, thinner-skinned areas.
• Head and neck: Run your fingers carefully around the face, neck and behind the ears.
• Under the collar and chin: Ticks can hide where collars sit, so always check underneath if your cat wears one.
• Shoulders and armpits: Feel between the shoulder blades and around the front legs.
• Groin, toes and tail base: These are easy spots to miss, but ticks can attach in tucked-away areas too.

If your cat has long or thick fur, a fine-toothed comb can help you work through the coat more carefully. Be sure to stop whenever the comb catches to check whether you’re looking at a tick, a scab or a bit of outdoor debris your cat has kindly brought home with them.

First things first, try not to panic. Finding a tick on your cat is never pleasant, but it is something you can usually deal with at home if the tick is in an easy-to-reach place and your cat is calm enough to let you help. The sooner you remove it safely, the better, as prompt tick removal can help reduce the risk of irritation and tick-borne infections.

We know it’s tempting to want them gone immediately, but squeezing the tick’s body can actually push fluid back into your cat’s skin and increase the risk of irritation or infection. If the tick is near a delicate area, such as the eyelid, inside the ear or very close to the mouth, it’s safer to call your vet rather than trying to remove it yourself.

When it comes to removing a tick from a cat, the aim is to remove the whole tick, avoid squeezing the body and keep your cat as still and calm as possible. Easier said than done with some cats, we know, but having the right tool and taking your time makes it much easier, we promise.

Using a Tick Hook or Tick Remover

1. Put on disposable gloves and, if needed, ask someone to hold your cat so they don’t suddenly wriggle away halfway through.
2. Part the fur around the tick so you can clearly see where it has attached to your cat’s skin.
3. Slide the tick remover between the tick’s body and your cat’s skin, so the tick’s head sits in the fork of the tool.
4. Carefully twist the tool while lifting with steady pressure until the tick lets go. Don’t rush and don’t yank too hard or quickly as this can leave parts behind or irritate the bite area.

Using Fine-Tipped Tweezers

1. Hold the tick as close to your cat’s skin as possible, gripping around the mouthparts rather than the swollen body.
2. Pull upward with slow, steady pressure. Avoid jerking, twisting with tweezers or squeezing the tick’s body, as this can make removal messier and increase irritation.

Once the tick is removed, check that it looks intact and clean the bite area with a pet-safe antiseptic or mild salt water before gently patting it dry. We suggest keeping an eye on the area over the next few days for redness, swelling, heat, discharge or anything that looks sore.

Dispose of the tick safely by sealing it in tape, placing it in a small sealed container or dropping it into rubbing alcohol if you have it. Don’t put it back outside, because the last thing anyone needs is the same tick eyeing up another pet.

It’s also worth noting the date you removed the tick and where your cat may have picked it up, especially if they become unwell afterwards. Your vet may ask about this if you need advice later down the line.

You might have seen some old tick removal tricks floating around the internet, but most of them are best ignored. Instead, your vet’s advice should always be prioritised. That means not using things like petroleum jelly, heat, burning, nail polish, butter, vinegar, alcohol or essential oils to remove a tick from a cat. Aside from being stressful and potentially unsafe for your cat, these methods can irritate the tick and may cause it to release bacteria back into the bite.

You should also avoid squeezing the tick’s body or yanking it away suddenly. It’s tempting to panic and pull it off as quickly as possible, but squeezing or jerking can leave the mouthparts behind and push fluid back into the wound. Instead, a slow and steady removal with a proper tick remover or fine-tipped tweezers is much safer.

It’s also really important never to use dog tick treatments on cats. Some dog flea and tick products contain permethrin which is toxic to cats and can cause serious illness. Homemade mixtures containing things like garlic, onion or strong oils are also unsafe and won’t reliably repel ticks anyway, so it’s always better to stick with cat-safe products recommended by your vet.

A single tick in an easy-to-reach spot can often be removed safely at home, but there are times when it’s better to get your vet involved. You know your cat best, so if anything feels wrong, or your cat seems uncomfortable after a tick bite, getting advice early is your best bet.

Contact your vet if you notice:

• Redness, swelling, heat or pus around the bite site, especially if it hasn’t improved after 48 hours.
• Your cat licking, scratching or bothering the area more than usual.
• Signs of illness in the days or weeks after a tick bite, such as fever, hiding away, low energy, poor appetite, weight loss, limping, swollen joints, pale gums or fast breathing.
• Several ticks on your cat at once, as this may suggest they’ve been somewhere with a heavier tick problem.
• Part of the tick has been left behind and the skin looks sore, inflamed or irritated.

You should also speak to your vet if you can’t remove the whole tick or if it’s attached somewhere awkward, like near the eye, inside the ear or very close to the mouth. UK vets deal with ticks on cats regularly, so there’s no shame in asking for help, especially if your cat is extra wriggly or seems stressed.

Interestingly, studies have found that cats seem to be less commonly affected by tick-borne and other arthropod-borne diseases than dogs, which is good news for our feline friends and their owners. But that doesn’t mean ticks should be ignored because they’re still not immune and ticks can carry some nasty bacteria and infections.

Some tick-borne diseases to be aware of include:

• Lyme disease: Lyme disease is rare in cats in the UK, but it can happen. It is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and may cause symptoms such as low energy, fever, painful joints, limping that shifts between legs and reduced appetite. Cats do not usually get the bullseye rash that people often associate with Lyme disease.
• Anaplasmosis: This is also uncommon in cats and is caused by ticks carrying Anaplasma phagocytophilum. The signs can be quite vague, including fever, tiredness and a general sense that your cat just isn’t themselves.
• Babesiosis: Babesiosis is extremely rare in cats in the UK, but it is still sometimes mentioned in relation to tick-borne disease. Your vet will be able to advise if they have any concerns based on your cat’s symptoms and history.
• Haemoplasma infections: These infections can affect the blood and may cause anaemia, particularly in young cats, older cats or cats with weaker immune systems.

The main thing is to watch your cat after a tick bite and speak to your vet if they seem unwell in the days or weeks afterwards. If a tick-borne infection is suspected, early diagnosis and vet-prescribed treatment can make recovery much more straightforward.

The main thing is to watch your cat after a tick bite and speak to your vet if they seem unwell in the days or weeks afterwards. If a tick-borne infection is suspected, early diagnosis and vet-prescribed treatment can make recovery much more straightforward.

Sadly, there’s no magic way to guarantee your cat will never pick up a tick, especially if they’re the adventurous type who likes to disappear into long grass and hedges. But you can reduce the risk with the right tick prevention routine.

Vet-recommended tick treatments are usually the best place to start, and these may include:

• Spot-on treatments: Some are applied monthly, while others can last longer depending on the product.
• Cat-safe tick collars: These should always be designed specifically for cats, never dogs, and fitted according to the instructions.
• Oral tick treatments: These may be available in some cases, depending on what is licensed and suitable for your cat.

It’s worth mentioning that not every flea treatment for cats protects against ticks too. Some cover fleas only, while others help with a wider range of parasites, so always check the label and speak to your vet if you’re not sure. Pet shop products may also offer shorter or lighter protection than prescription options, so choose carefully, especially if your cat spends a lot of time outdoors.

And please never use human insect repellents or dog-only flea and tick treatments on cats. Some ingredients that are safe for dogs or people can be dangerous for cats, such as permethrin which is found in certain dog products.

You can also make your garden a little less tick-friendly by keeping the grass trimmed, cutting back dense bramble patches and avoiding anything that encourages deer or wildlife to gather close to the house. And even with good tick prevention in place, regular checks are still important, especially during UK tick season around March to October. Just run your hands over your cat’s body each day if they’ve been outside and check in hidden areas around the ears, neck, armpits, groin and tail base.

We understand why natural tick remedies sound appealing, but cats are very sensitive to certain ingredients, so this is an area where you really don’t want to experiment.

For starters, garlic, onions and leeks are toxic to cats and should never be used for tick prevention. Coconut oil and some herbal sprays also have limited repellent effects and are not a reliable replacement for proper tick prevention or safe tick removal. Essential oils like tea tree, eucalyptus, citronella and lavender can also be poisonous to cats, so they’re best avoided altogether.

If you prefer a lower-chemical approach, the safest option is regular combing, daily tick checks during tick season and the mildest effective cat-safe treatment recommended by your vet.

Humans can’t catch Lyme disease directly from cats but a tick your cat brings indoors could still bite you, another person or another pet in the home. And ticks that carry infections like Lyme disease can be found in many rural and suburban areas across the UK, so it’s sensible to handle them carefully.

Wear gloves when removing or disposing of ticks, wash your hands afterwards and avoid touching your eyes, mouth or broken skin. If a tick attaches to you, remove it promptly with a tick remover and keep an eye out for symptoms like a spreading rash, flu-like feelings, tiredness or joint pain. If you’re worried, contact your GP or NHS 111 for advice.

Finding a tick on your cat is never going to be the highlight of your day, but it doesn’t have to turn into a full panic either. Once you know what ticks look like, where they like to hide and how to remove them safely, it becomes much easier to deal with them. The main things to remember are to use a tick remover or fine-tipped tweezers, avoid squeezing the tick’s body, skip the old home remedies and speak to your vet if anything looks sore or worrying afterwards.

And because prevention is always nicer than surprise tick removal, regular checks and cat-safe tick protection can help keep your feline friend much more comfortable through tick season. Here at WOOOF, we’ve got plenty of cat care essentials to help you stay prepared, from grooming tools and everyday health products to the little extras that make caring for your cat feel that bit easier.

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