Any tricks to tick treatment/control on feral who won't be touched?

[PeteyOchiFern]

Hi everyone. Just joined today and am excited to connect. I am a mom of 3 indoor cats (they only go out on harnesses). I live on 3 acres and about 6 months ago two black strays started coming around the house. I've been feeding them and made them shelters for this past winter. As time went on I was able to trap them and get them fixed and rabies vaccinated. I believe they are siblings. The female (Fluffy) is very shy but will continuously meow at me when i talk to her, has done this for a few months now, and hangs around the house a lot, but she is super skittish when you approach her. Her brother (BigBoy), on the other hand, has just recently become intensely friendly, rubbing against my leg and butting my hand when i feed them. He's let me pet him a little, which i think he would tolerate more, but I don't want to push it. He even comes to the back door now and sits and waits and gets excited when I come out to feed them. I have noticed a couple ticks on him and I want to intervene. Fluffy is super long haired and impossible to see what she's got under all the fur but he is short haired and easier to tell. I'm sure if he has ticks, she would too. I can't seem to find anything that kills and prevents ticks other than collars and neck drops. I may be able to trick him into the drops, eventually... maybe..., but Fluffy....not a chance. Any good advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

[maggie101]

If the vet could give them vaccine, can he treat them for ticks if you cant? Are you planning on keeping the cats or have them fostered? Some rescues will take them in,give to a foster,and socialize them so they can be adopted.

 

[gilmargl]

First of all, I must say that you have done an excellent job for these two cats. They are neutered and being well cared for. Well done!


However, I am very sorry, but I really don't think that there is a solution to your problem. I can only suggest trapping them again. That would mean feeding them only in unset traps until you are ready to whizz them off to the vet for spot-on treatment against fleas and ticks.

As far as I know, there is nothing you can put in their food (it would have to be exceedingly poisonous anyway) which will clear them of these parasites. Collars are certainly not the best solution but the vet will have something effective, and, so long as the cats are in the traps, and not in an ordinary pet-carrier, it should be possible for him to give them a suitable dosage.

Unfortunately, so long as they are living outside, they will keep picking up ticks. You will have to decide, whether or not the procedure of going to the vet is worth your while. I hope that Fluffy will become less scared and that one day you will be able to treat them both yourself.

Not been much help, have I?

 

[maggie101]

Oh, and welcome aboard!!!

 

[maggie101]

Coco was super skittish. She was born on my porch. I had to get down on my hands and knees to approach her. Never walk towards her. Disappeared 5 weeks old, came back I year old on my porch. I now have her inside. No longer skittish. It took a year for her to leave my bedroom

 

[Furballsmom]

If you decide to go the trapping route, try either Buddig ham, or kentucky friend chicken

 

[PeteyOchiFern]

Coco was super skittish. She was born on my porch. I had to get down on my hands and knees to approach her. Never walk towards her. Disappeared 5 weeks old, came back I year old on my porch. I now have her inside. No longer skittish. It took a year for her to leave my bedroomView attachment 329514

oh, she's so cute! To answer your above question about the vet, I took them to a mobile unit vet that does only spaying and rabies shots. I haven't involved my own vet yet, but I will at least ask for some advice. I was successful in trapping them with HaveAHart traps in minutes, which was awesome, because I was so afraid it would not work. Honestly, i think it may be too soon to trap them again, since it was only in Feb, and they've finally become so much more comfortable with us. I would hate to go backwards on their trust. I will have to be patient. I will continue to socialize them to us humans as much as possible in the coming months. They've definitely made our home their home, which is great because I think it keeps them safer. It's interesting, they see our cats all the time in the windows and at the glass door...Us petting them and holding them...I wonder if that helps these two with their comfort level?? hmmm, something to think about! Anyway, here are BigBoy on the left and Fluffy on the right.

 

[PeteyOchiFern]

First of all, I must say that you have done an excellent job for these two cats. They are neutered and being well cared for. Well done!


However, I am very sorry, but I really don't think that there is a solution to your problem. I can only suggest trapping them again. That would mean feeding them only in unset traps until you are ready to whizz them off to the vet for spot-on treatment against fleas and ticks.

As far as I know, there is nothing you can put in their food (it would have to be exceedingly poisonous anyway) which will clear them of these parasites. Collars are certainly not the best solution but the vet will have something effective, and, so long as the cats are in the traps, and not in an ordinary pet-carrier, it should be possible for him to give them a suitable dosage.

Unfortunately, so long as they are living outside, they will keep picking up ticks. You will have to decide, whether or not the procedure of going to the vet is worth your while. I hope that Fluffy will become less scared and that one day you will be able to treat them both yourself.

Not been much help, have I?

Thank you for your feedback. I think I will continue to build trust and I am actually hopeful that, at the very least, I can treat BigBoy, who is shorthaired and easier to see the ticks, in not too long from now. Fluffy, on the other hand, will be a much bigger challenge. However, I wonder, because she has such incredibly thick, dense long hair, that she may get them less, simply because it would be much harder for a tick to get through all that?... I could be completely wrong. lol. Anyway, because I just trapped them only this past Feb, I would hate to freak them out again. we are on the right path to increasing trust daily, and now that spring is coming and it's finally getting warmer (I live in the Northeast) I can spend more time outside around them. I am pretty hopeful!

 

[maggie101]

Good luck on treating them. Don't forget about fleas They might need advantage or revolution. Maybe your vet has something to treat them both for fleas and ticks

 

[PeteyOchiFern]

Good luck on treating them. Don't forget about fleas They might need advantage or revolution. Maybe your vet has something to treat them both for fleas and ticks

Absolutely!! Thank you!

 

[fionasmom]

As time passes, they may become more friendly to your touch. I was able to put Advantage on my two recently moved indoor ferals by myself, but it took time to get there. If you get to a certain point where you can touch a little bit and are very quick with the med, you might have success. Otherwise, I think that retrapping is the only other alternative.

 

[Dog Lover 100]

finally got him. filled his belly. then stupid left a hole open he is now under my home with a full belly. food lure nope baby talk nope just looks at me like im stupid. wait him out? release for recapture? continue to feed him under home? HELP please

 

[PeteyOchiFern]

As time passes, they may become more friendly to your touch. I was able to put Advantage on my two recently moved indoor ferals by myself, but it took time to get there. If you get to a certain point where you can touch a little bit and are very quick with the med, you might have success. Otherwise, I think that retrapping is the only other alternative.

That's my plan, I think. LOL. Little by little, I think I may be able to do that without the stress of trapping again. They were NOT happy with that experience! Wish me luck! I'll keep you all posted!

 

[maggie101]

finally got him. filled his belly. then stupid left a hole open he is now under my home with a full belly. food lure nope baby talk nope just looks at me like im stupid. wait him out? release for recapture? continue to feed him under home? HELp
He will come out on his own

posting under a thread you created will help get more responses

 

[Dog Lover 100]

He has missed his normal feeding time today. in day 2. So don't feed him then?

 

[Dog Lover 100]

I did start 1 also no response yet.

 

[PeteyOchiFern]

I did start 1 also no response yet.

Hi. I think you sent me a message of this post by mistake, instead of starting a forum feed. Do you feed this cat on a regular basis and now he's hiding? Did something happen to him for him to hide? I think we are all a little confused about your situation as your info is staggered.

 

[Dog Lover 100]

Just Farrell living under a neighbors home...now hes trapped under mine
yes took 2 weeks to finally get him to let me pick him up got him in then messed up and allowed him to get under mine. so dumb

 

[Dog Lover 100]

wait him out? he has to be getting hungry. in day 2 now.
missed his normal feeding time today. let him out and re capture him? feed him under my home?

 

[Furballsmom]

I did start 1 also no response yet.

I'm answering you on your thread.