A tick on a cat's neck

[td95]

Toro is a beautiful tuxedo cat I feed and take care of. He sometimes sleeps in my basement, but prefers staying outside. Toro has always been an outdoor cat and he is not as tame as some other cats and easily gets scared, so I try as much as I can not to upset him.
He wasn't around for few days, and when he finally came back today, I noticed something weird on his neck. At first, it seemed like a dried wound, but it felt very soft to touch. I tried to remove it gently but it didn't fall off, so I assumed it was possibly a tick. I was afraid not to hurt my cat and he started being aggressive, so I stepped back. The thing didn't seem to cause any discomfort to him, he was eating and behaving normally, but that part of his neck still looks pink and is missing hair.
Could it be something other than a tick? And what should I do? Toro is turning 2 in July and he is a pretty healthy and strong cat. I don't think he has been to vets before. Does it seem serious enough or I can wait before he eventually shows some other symptoms before I take him to the vet? I read that ticks fall off by themselves, so I don't know what should be the best thing to do. I hope someone can help me.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Toro is a beautiful tuxedo cat I feed and take care of. He sometimes sleeps in my basement, but prefers staying outside. Toro has always been an outdoor cat and he is not as tame as some other cats and easily gets scared, so I try as much as I can not to upset him.
He wasn't around for few days, and when he finally came back today, I noticed something weird on his neck. At first, it seemed like a dried wound, but it felt very soft to touch. I tried to remove it gently but it didn't fall off, so I assumed it was possibly a tick. I was afraid not to hurt my cat and he started being aggressive, so I stepped back. The thing didn't seem to cause any discomfort to him, he was eating and behaving normally, but that part of his neck still looks pink and is missing hair.
Could it be something other than a tick? And what should I do? Toro is turning 2 in July and he is a pretty healthy and strong cat. I don't think he has been to vets before. Does it seem serious enough or I can wait before he eventually shows some other symptoms before I take him to the vet? I read that ticks fall off by themselves, so I don't know what should be the best thing to do. I hope someone can help me.

Hello td95 and welcome to TCS! We strongly urge people whose cats have health concerns to do the right thing and let a good vet checkup determine the course of action, as none of us are vets or professional health care personnel. Please do make a vet appointment for Toro. At the very least, he needs a basic checkup, neutering, and baseline innoculations. And no lay person should diagnose the condition pictured. Please keep us informed, and I hope you can do this for him! Thank you.

 

[td95]

Hello td95 and welcome to TCS! We strongly urge people whose cats have health concerns to do the right thing and let a good vet checkup determine the course of action, as none of us are vets or professional health care personnel. Please do make a vet appointment for Toro. At the very least, he needs a basic checkup, neutering, and baseline innoculations. And no lay person should diagnose the condition pictured. Please keep us informed, and I hope you can do this for him! Thank you.

Thank you for replying, tarasgirl06 . I have always had the intention to make a vet appointment for the things you mentioned above. I was just waiting for him to become more relaxed in my presence, because he really doesn't want to be picked up, let alone taken somewhere. So many things scare him off. At times, he doesn't even want me to touch him. I took the photos above when he saw the food, as he lets me touch him when he gets hungry.
However, I hope I will make a vet appointment nowadays, and try to take him there.
Thank you once again.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Thank you for replying, tarasgirl06 . I have always had the intention to make a vet appointment for the things you mentioned above. I was just waiting for him to become more relaxed in my presence, because he really doesn't want to be picked up, let alone taken somewhere. So many things scare him off. At times, he doesn't even want me to touch him. I took the photos above when he saw the food, as he lets me touch him when he gets hungry.
However, I hope I will make a vet appointment nowadays, and try to take him there.
Thank you once again.

*Make sure you have a secure cat carrier so he does not escape. IDK where you are, but if you have access to Petco.com or other venue that sells the Petmate hard plastic top/side door carrier for larger cats, that's my favorite. Convenient, comfortable when lined with soft towel/bedding, and lasts forever.*https://www.petmate.com/petmate-2-door-dog-cat-kennel/product/21225 To calm a frightened or stressed cat, Feliway spray sprayed on the bedding (just a small spray is plenty) helps a lot in my experience. Also available at same venues.

 

[td95]

*Make sure you have a secure cat carrier so he does not escape. IDK where you are, but if you have access to Petco.com or other venue that sells the Petmate hard plastic top/side door carrier for larger cats, that's my favorite. Convenient, comfortable when lined with soft towel/bedding, and lasts forever.*https://www.petmate.com/petmate-2-door-dog-cat-kennel/product/21225 To calm a frightened or stressed cat, Feliway spray sprayed on the bedding (just a small spray is plenty) helps a lot in my experience. Also available at same venues.

I don't know for sure if that brand is available in Europe, but thank you so much for your suggestions, and those carriers look great!

 

[tarasgirl06]

I don't know for sure if that brand is available in Europe, but thank you so much for your suggestions, and those carriers look great!

amazon has them. And there may be a European brand that has a similar design, since it is airline-approved and very popular.

 

[Willowy]

It does look like a tick. You really should get it off; if it falls off on its own, it'll waddle away and lay eggs to make more ticks. Do you have a flea comb? For me, that's the easiest way to fully remove a tick without annoying the cat too much. If not, tweezers will do, but be careful to remove the mouthparts and not squeeze the body. Then put the tick in a bag and give it to the vet when you go. They can tell you if tick-borne diseases are common in your area.

 

[td95]

Thank you both for all the help! Luckily, the tick or whatever it was, wasn't there today. I guess it fell overnight, there was just a closed little wound on its place that doesn't seem infected. The cat still behaves very normal, but I will keep an eye on him.

 

[td95]

W Willowy , the tick wasn't moving yesterday so I think it was probably dead anyway and hopefully doesn't lay any eggs around. As the cat is outdoor, there is no way to find the tick, but I feel relieved it didn't cause any harm.

 

[Willowy]

No, they don't move while they're on the cat, they just suck blood. They can't hold on when they're dead so it had to be alive. So it probably did drop off to lay eggs :/. But oh well, at least it's not on him any more, ick.

Do ask the vet which flea and tick medication they recommend, because the insect situation is just going to get worse the warmer it gets outside, so this probably won't be the last tick you see.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Thank you both for all the help! Luckily, the tick or whatever it was, wasn't there today. I guess it fell overnight, there was just a closed little wound on its place that doesn't seem infected. The cat still behaves very normal, but I will keep an eye on him.

If your guy is outdoors, you can prevent ticks from getting on him -- and ticks can cause Lyme disease, which is very serious -- by applying a topical. *Caution, Seresto, any Hartz product or anything for dogs is extremely dangerous. DO NOT use any of these. Use only one approved specifically for CATS.*