Sofer, Up For An OT Question Please?

You are a Vet, correct? I remember you mentioning something along those lines and I'm hoping you could help me out with some advice. I know I'm getting myself in deep here just by asking, lol.

I have taken in 4 ferrel kittens and am slowly earning their trust. Slowly being the key word. We are guessing they are 6-7 weeks old. Tonight we spotted a tick on one of them and would like to remove it. They are still hand-shy and scurry away when they realize it's us that is touching them when we pet them at feeding time.

The tick is on the most outgoing and adventurous kitten (right behind his ear), I've actually gotten him to climb my leg a few times during play time. I'd hate for him to lose what little trust he has because we have to pick him up and remove the tick. My whole plan has been to EARN their trust by showing them we won't hurt them, then handling them when they are ready. Suggestions?

Do I need to be a bit more aggressive in my strategy with handling the kittens? Is the way I'm doing it going to take me 6 months?

You can see the cuties here http://happycats.wordpress.com/happy-cats/ if you're interested.

Thanks for any help,
Heather

I'm not sure, but I think soferdig is camping. If I were you, I'd use a large towel and throw it over the animal, wrap it a little so you don't get scratched and it can't run away, and cover the cat's eyes, that always seems to calm them down.
Get the tick out and put some bacitracin on the wound. As for trust, it might not be worth much if the animal is sick.

It could be that if you start doing the head scratch on him, he'll let you mess with him until you get the tick and will never notice something is going on. If the tick is big enough, you could get hold of it and the cat jumping away will take care of the rest. Or could you just be ready with a fingerful of vaseline, and just glob it on the tick before the cat knows what's going on? That will take care of the tick. An antibiotic may help, but many a cat's been bitten by a tick and survived it just fine.

If you go claypa's route (which may be the only way) I'd suggest YOU hold him in the towel and someone else deal with the tick, if that's possible.

Good luck. I sympathize with the dilemma!

Well, the sad thing is that if the kitten is going to get sick from the tick bite it's already happened. I'd like to get the tick before it falls off then finds it's way to the other kittens. There's a low pile carpet in the room and I can't run the sweeper in there because it would terrify the kitties...so I'm sweeping it by hand for now.

I have towels in their room because I've thought about dropping a towel on him to catch him, I've done that with other kitties. Please know that I do have lots of experience with animals, both dogs and cats. This is just my first time with kittens that are THIS ferrel. We currently have 3 dogs and 3 cats in our home, so we have experience removing ticks also...the nasty little things. Although we do use Advantage, ticks find every opportunity!

These kittens have been taught by their Mama that humans are the equivalent of death and pain. After having them for a week I'm able to barely pet 2 of them while they are eating, and get the same 2 to come out to play. One of them is the kitty with the tick...he's shown the most progress. I just can't stand to lose that trust. I think even picking them up too soon is a bad idea. But I don't know that I'm going to have a choice.

What makes all of this even worse is that this particular kitty is the leader of the litter. All of the other kittens follow his lead, so if he ends up afraid of us I'm concerned the rest will regress also.

In any case I'm not giving up on these poor little babies. They will find out that humans are good and loving. Thanks for your help, I appreciate it lots.
Heather

I think you should not worry so much about the tick. Not all carry disease, and if this one does, as you've pointed out, it's too late.The tick will not fall off until it's full, and it's not going to hop right onto another kitten.When it falls off you will see it's great round blood-gorged body very slowly moving around, and you can kill it then. Achieving the trust factor is more important, I think.

The kitten could become anemic if the tick remains. If it's an adult female tick, in two years you could wind up with hundreds of ticks if no one's there to see it when and where it decides it's had enough kitten blood.

Okay, everybody -- keep repeating "heathrjoy removes the tick..."

Couldn't hurt! If we all let the Universe know what we want to happen, it will happen!

Everyone take a deep breath. The kitty won't be anemic, he's much too big. There won't be 200 ticks, even if I don't get the thing or find it when it falls off (I'm bombing the room when I remove them).

I very highly doubt that I would find the tick once it fell off. I probably have better chances of hitting the lottery...so if I do happen to find the tick I'll be playing the big jackpot that day! =^)

I did try to pick up the ticked kitten the other day and he certainly was a ticked kitten. I've got some nice scratches and bite holes. Although he and one other kitten have been meeting us at the door and purring at feeding time, so they are showing great progress. It's just that they are still so hand shy. And that is what makes me wonder if I do "force" pick them if in the long run it will be better. I have an idea that Sofer has experience with more wild type animals....he's pretty wild himself, LOL!!

I'm thinking that we are going to have to do the towel thing and pull the tick. Vaseline would be a horrible mess and how would I get it off? Then I'd like to get some Advantage on all of the kittens if my Vet thinks they are ready for it. Then that'll be the end of all of this, and I think it will also make it easier to place them in homes. I think it's going to be an adventure getting the Advantage on them though...maybe I'll set up the video cam. =^..^=

Yes, I for one want to see you putting Advantage on the kittens. Will you post it here, or send it directly to the Planet's Funniest Animals?

Better you than me! meOOOWWWW!

;p

If you can get some CamphoFenique on a qtip and daub it on the tick during petting time it will likely fall off immediately. At least it will turn loose quickly so you can just brush it off. Almost any product with a lot of menthol in it will cause them to come lose quickly.

Sorry I was up in the frozen wastelands of Alberta canoeing. You have done everything just fine and ticks are best dealt with with an anti tick product. You should change to Frontline especially made for ticks. You probably have eliminated the concern for anemia because that takes a lot of blood sucking ticks. They are large and locked on to the pets skin. Biting ticks are more dangerous due to the transfer of Lymes, Rocky Mt Spotted fever etc. I always prevent ticks on my pets with an effective anti tick product. I also remove sucking ticks within 24 hours so no lyme concerns. I just pull them off and eat them. LOL

Sorry I haven't responded in a few days, I haven't felt well at all.

The kittens have really come around in the last few days and the one with the tick is allowing us to pick him up a bit w/o totalling mauling us. I'm not up to the 20 mile drive to the Vet's office right now, but my puppy goes to the groomer tomorrow, so I'll get some tick killer there. We'll just have to apply it to the kittens we can as they begin to trust us enough. The two boldest kittens now meet us at the door purring like little motors and going crazy to be petted. We are spending more and more time with them daily. It won't be long and they will be able to be placed. The two timid kittens are coming out to play and wondering what all the purring is about. They all are also showing lots of good growth which is very encouraging.

Lymes was my biggest concern, it's rampid around here. These little babies will have to be tested. The reality is they may have gotten it from a tick before I brought them in. We have all of our animals vaccinated against it, even inside kitties, because you just never know. I've seen too many friend's animals suffer from it...and talk about a hard diagnosis.

Thanks for your help everyone, I appreciate it TONS!! =^) Glad to hear you had a good time Sofer....and I'll be leaving the tick eating up to my DH. Icky, poo, poo.

You could just light it and watch it POP! Man, oh man, that's fun on a Saturday night.

Only when you have a short haired cat or dog. I have treated several burns on the match thing. I have had good luck with isopropyl alcohol soaking. But the pick and flick is my favorite on me so I get them off before they transfer Rickettsia to my immune system.

Hmmm, a Lyme Rickey?

I meant you could light the ticks after they're removed from the dog or cat, sheesh.

Good one jean!

The old Boy Scout manual said to use a match as soon as you blew it out, while it's still glowing

Ouch!

leaflady, that's very interesting about the menthol. I usually use a cotton ball soaked in rubbing alcohol (isopropol?), but it takes a good while of holding it in place before the tick loosens.

Soferdig, will the alcohol kill the Rickettsia?

I like to toss the detached tick into Clorox. This is sick, but I also watch to be sure it dies. They are hard to kill. I'm sure a flame works, PG, but that's a little too hands on for me.

Heathrjoy, Frontline has been a very effective preventative for my dog. I think there is a cat formulation. But where can you apply anything to a cat that the cat can't manage to clean it off (or ingest it while trying)?

Alchol only causes the environment of the tick to be undesirable. No rickettsia dead. Just the sooner you eliminate the tick the less the potential of transfer.
Cats need to have application over the sholder blades and attention to prevent grooming while drying and penetrating.

Ok let me get this straight, I should soak the kitten in either Campho Phenique or Rubbing Alcohol and then apply a lit match, or at least a match that is still glowing (according to the Boy Scout hand book), and doing all of this will make the tick "pop". If that doesn't do the trick I can resort to soaking in Clorox, but I should keep a close eye so I know when to remove the kitten when the tick is dead...this treatment in particular concerns me since the kitten is black.

You know, I never did trust those Boy Scouts.

Puppy goes to the groomers in an hour and I'll get some tick killer then. Three of the kittens are now letting us pet them, two of them are seriously enjoying it, the fourth is still shy but she's coming around. The tick has actually fallen off at this point, but I want to make sure it doesn't reattach and cause more problems. The kitties have grown enough in the last 2 weeks that they are surely big enough for the med. For the kitties we've applied Advantage to we've put it at the base of their skull and haven't had a problem. Mostly you have to be concerned about kitties that groom each other, or at least that's our biggest problem...cats grooming dogs, dogs grooming cats, cats grooming cats, dogs grooming dogs. So why am I taking my puppy to the groomer again???

Steve - My step-father used to remove the blood-engorged ticks off of our dog using the Boy Scout method, put them in a metal ashtray, squirt it with lighter fluid, and then light the ticks. Us kids had the job of petting the dog to keep her calm and still while the tick or ticks were removed. I don't believe we ever actually burned the poor dog.

I'm glad to hear that menthol works, as in Vapo Rub. I'll pass the info along to family with dogs. Fortunately our cat stays inside. She does catch a mouse now and then.

we don't have much problems with ticks here in Montana. They are a springtime thing. I treat my animals with frontline/Advantix/during these months. I have had 2 dogs go down with tick paralysis and had to clip them and pull off the tick.
hey I got Verizons :PC card for my laptop so I can now eat lunch and set on a bank above the Missouri R and talk to you guys. I like this. It is a little slow with pictures but not bad.

A caveat on this alcohol and a match idea. I knew a woman once who was doing this to her small dog. Not sure now what she was using to get the tick to release its hold, maybe tick dip on a cotton swap or Q-tip. Anyway, she was doing this in the upstairs loft of her condo. It was the TV room and there was not much ventilation. After a few dips and match flames, the fumes accumulated and an explosion occurred. She and the dog were both badly burned. Use care out there my friends. Make sure you are in a well ventilated area.

This message was edited Oct 11, 2006 4:48 PM

Of course, this was done outdoors. However, I do believe the match and the alcohol/cotton swab are two separate ways to get the tick to back out. I like Sofer's menthol idea best, no accelerant, no flames. He's a vet.

Leaflady's the menthol proponent, Sofer's a pick and flick/eat man. He also said he removes them within 24 hours. I hope the darn thing is off by now

Oh yeah, LOL.

Protein is a hard thing to come by when you live in the wastelands of Montana so every parcel we can catch, kill, and step on is food for our families. Beaver tail is my favorite!

Pardon the butting in, but Sofer, I'm ENTIRELY jealous of your canoe trip. All I can manage lately is occasionally taking mine out on the bayou. Ah, well.

Hey everyone, just wanted to give an update on the kittens and say thanks again for all of the help, I really do appreciate it.

I had to have an emergency surgery on 10/12, so my DH has been caring for the kittens and doing a wonderful job of it, all the while taking care of me too. (He even did laundry!!) Three of the kittens come to be petted now, the fourth is still skittish and very shy. Miss Shy will just have to learn that we mean her no harm. The two boldest kittens climb on my DH, one even gave him kisses all over his face last night! Everything is going great, and soon the kittens will either be placed in homes or go to the local shelter (no kill). We're just waiting for Miss Shy to warm up a bit before the traumatic move. I think the other three are ready for the move, and we sure will miss them. I haven't gotten to visit them much in the last 12 days or so because of pain, but when I do visit them they run right to me, purring like crazy and wanting petted and loved. They are a far, far cry from the ferrel kittens we brought in a few weeks ago.

They have also decided that my plants that are overwintering in "their room" are mostly doomed. I don't know if I should laugh or cry. What hasn't been knocked over and pummeled during play time has been peed in. Everything from my Brugs to my Corckscrew Vine has damage and it may be too late to save them. As much as I'll miss my plants (whining big time) I think the kitties are much more important. I'd been thinking about downsizing....really, I had....I'll just keep telling myself that over and over.

Hope you have a speedy and full recovery, first off!

Yes, the kittens are more important. I've found that, as far as cat pee in pots goes, the solution to pollution is dilution. Watering them will be your best chance. And if they don't make it, they can still contribute if you have a compost pile! Cold comfort as far as the plants go, but some.

God bless you forever for taking care of those little critters.

Ann

Thanks Ann. I've been thinking about putting the Brugs in a bubbler as soon as the kittens move on, so that'll take care of them. The rest will get a good drench in the bath tub and I'll hope and pray for the best. Otherwise I will have lots to add to the compost pile. It's a bummer, but nothing to get too excited about...it's not going to change anyone's life. I'll miss them next summer, but I'm sure I'll find something to replace them before too long....maybe a laminated pic of the kitten who peed in the flower pot??!!! LOL

Try leaching them, put the pot under a dripping faucet (preferably @ room temperature) make sure you pull the tray off and let it run (slowly) through for about an hour. This will leach out the extra acidic nitrogen fetilizer that your kitties found necessary to provide.....

Thanks MQN, will do that when I'm able. I hate to ask my DH, he's already been doing so much...but he'll probably end up having to do it anyway. I can't lift or bend for another 2 weeks. UGH. I've been getting really good at doing squats though, lol! Maybe lunges will come next.