True or false: If you see a tick on your cat you should cover it with Vaseline to suffocate and kill the parasite.

The answer is false! This could actually make the situation much worse, as it could coax the tick to regurgitate toxins into your cat’s tissues—putting her at risk for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme disease, Colorado Tick Fever, and tularemia.

Instead of following this old-wives tale, grab a pair of latex gloves, sharp tweezers, isopropyl alcohol, antiseptic ointment, and hydrocortisone spray.

You may want a friend to help you hold your cat so she won’t wriggle away. Use the tweezers to grab the tick at the head, right where it entered the cat’s body. If you grab it by the body instead, you risk leaving some of the little sucker in there. Pull it outward without twisting or jerking.

Do not toss the tick on the ground and step on it like any other bug. You don’t want to risk infesting your home. Instead, drop it in a bit of alcohol to kill it.

Apply disinfectant around the bite wound and spray with hydrocortisone spray to help ease irritation and itching. Some of the tick’s toxic saliva will remain inside the wound, so you should continue applying hydrocortisone for a few days.

Tags: remove cat ticks