Tropical Ticks

[Banjo]

I read somewhere that ticks don't attack cats, our dog gets them and we use Frontline Plus but I've never seen one on the four cats.
Any opinions on this?

[Mollycat]

Ticks definitely can and do get on cats but now you mention it my grandparents who lived in the south of France were forever pulling ticks out of the dog, like several a day in the main tick season, but never the cats. Perhaps it depends on the tick species?

[fjm]

I have found the occasional tick on the cats. A study has shown that cats tend to be less affected than dogs, but do get them: https://veterinary-practice.com/article ... es-in-cats The biggest difference is that cats seem to have a natural resistance to Lyme disease, the most common tick borne disease - they can get other unpleasant illnesses, though, so are not completely immune to tick bites.

[Ruth B]

Cats can get ticks but in all my years I've only ever known one to have one.

I wonder if some of it has to do with where cats and dogs roam. A dog can be taken down country paths, out into parks and allowed to romp through the under growth, and while some cats will wander away from their home, a lot seem happy with a territory of a couple of gardens, which might limit where they can pick up a tick. The style of movement may also need to be taken unto consideration, as i said dogs tend to go bounding through undergrowth while a cat is likely to be belly down stalking something and disturbing less of the plants around it.

I will add in the caveat that I'm no expert on animal behaviour and have never owned a dog, my opinion is based on what i have seen of other peoples dogs and videos, so i'm prepared to be corrected on how they behave.

[Mollycat]

I did think the same Ruth but more to do with dogs running around in places livestock and more so deer have been. My grandparents' cats roamed free in a small village infested with ticks though, one German Shepherd dog was even killed by ticks. Not sure if it was the sheer number or Lymes but it died. I never saw a tick in the UK until the dog came to live with me, we've had about a dozen in 2 and a half years now.

[Banjo]

Thanks for the replies.