South East Ontario has ticks- we watch the cats like stink!

Daisy has a black spot on her nostril (left), Dorah is larger

I've been vigilant. Every time a cat comes indoors we inspect it. I grab a small piece of tape and remove the little ones before they become attached. Easy peasy. With two white cats it is pretty simple to spot them. The white twins have just turned 1 year old. Peculiar that Buster (2), being black, either moves faster or they don't like him. Maybe he removes them. Sadie (8), the queen, doesn't go out quite so much. She gets ticked off with the twins.

By June 21st we had found and removed 76 ticks. By July 10th we were up to 80. Things slowed down in the summer. We were only finding one or two a week. Late August, they picked up again and we are up to about 85. We've been finding a few more every other day or so, one was on Daisy's cheek yesterday. I've stopped keeping track.

Tick Report August 30th
Dorah: 36; Daisy: 42; Buster: 4; Sadie: 1; Jenn: 1; and 1 was found ambling around the cat bed in the Muskoka room. Another one bites the dust!
I've only found 3 or 4 fleas, which are larger and easier to spot.

All cats have been treated with Revolution, as the problem is so bad this year. It's not cheap, but if you are a pet owner, you must take responsibility for your pets.
Advantage treats the cats for fleas, but the ticks were ubiquitous. With lots of rain, they've been happily reproducing and looking for a blood meal. Ticks need a blood meal to lay eggs, as do mosquitoes.

Manitoba's website (below) has excellent photos of the ticks in various states, and shows the difference between dog ticks, wood ticks, and black-legged ticks. Either way, get them off of your pet! Most of ours are likely wood ticks.

Identifying Blacklegged Ticks | Lyme Disease | Enviromental Health ...

www.gov.mb.ca › ... › Environmental Health › Lyme Disease

Blacklegged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) exist in three active stages: larva, nymph and adult. The life cycle of blacklegged ticks takes at least three years to complete.

We take many forest walks. The cats enjoy it. It is good exercise. Daisy is the tree climbing queen. She is so wee, that she can go high, and climb down.

Poor Daisy and the dock spider

Dorah had a good day in the dirt

Queen Sadie on her throne!
(Don't tell her it is a doggie bed!)

They are very clean cats.

Hot work, running in the heat.
But they love it!

Twerps on the table

Sadie in the forest

Down in the meadow

Camera-Critters #282