Does a tick look like a big black scab?

[Fluffycloudland77]

Because I think fluffy cat as one & I tried to tug at it but its really tightly attached & he won't let me take a photo of it.

[fieldfare]

I've only seen one once on my cat and it was plain that it was a tick - you could see the body and legs. Can't you entice the cat with a treat and then pin him down to look closely?

[HindsightisaMarvellousThing]

Ticks on my dogs always look like grey sweetcorn kernels - all shrivelled up when they first attach, then all fat when they fall off. Though I've seen small black ticks as well I think.

You won't be able to see the head bit of the tick as it'll be embedded in your cat, but the body bit should stand a bit proud of the cat skin I think.

[haggisaggis]

THey start off as really tiny black / dark brown spots - quite shiny and hard when you touch them. Gradually grow (as they fill with blood!) into the size and shape of a sweetcorn kernel - and are greyish in colour. They then fall off....our Maine Coon must have had one I didn't know about. Found it on our bed yesterday!

[Fluffycloudland77]

I was looking at it while he was sunbathing & it's been there a good two weeks. I thought it was just a big scab.

It's black, I picked at it and a bit of black hard stuff came off and some gooey blood but I can't see anything like a mouth piece.

I need a tick remover tool don't I? Or is it a scab?.

[HindsightisaMarvellousThing]

Sounds more like a scab than a tick tbh. Has it got bigger over the last two weeks?

[haggisaggis]

I don't think it's a tick. They're not flat like a scab but stick out (like a sweetcorn kernel when they're bigger) Our Maine Coon get's loads of ticks - got a tick remover from the vet and keep it together with a magnifying glass so I can remove them when they're still small (when I find them - his fur's so thick I don't always see them)

[Fluffycloudland77]

I don't know, it's just big & black & raised up quite a bit.

I've just picked a scab off him for comparison & it's flat with fur but this doesn't fur on it.

I'm trying to get a photo but he's getting suspicious of the ipad.

[TunipTheUnconquerable]

When my children got ticks they looked like blood blisters at first but when you look closely you could see legs.

[HindsightisaMarvellousThing]

Can you get him to a vet, so they can take a proper look?

[Fluffycloudland77]

I cut the fur, can you make it out?

[Fluffycloudland77]

Can't I just get tweezers & pull it out? We've already been to the vets twice this week & it's getting expensive.

[HindsightisaMarvellousThing]

My cat has had scabs that look a bit like that, but its really difficult to judge without being able to feel it as well as see it. Sorry, that isn't much help. I think that it probably isn't a tick if you can't see legs, but could be a wart or something. Can you get to a vet?

[HindsightisaMarvellousThing]

Cross-post re the vet trip, sorry. And I wouldn't try tweezers in case it was a wart or something

[TunipTheUnconquerable]

If it is a tick, there's a special kind of tweezers (called tick teaser or something like that) - your vet might sell them and they're not expensive. The problem is with the normal ones that it's difficult to remove the tick without leaving bits behind and that's what causes infection.

[Fluffycloudland77]

Do ticks make them ill? He's been bad all week & threw up 4 times last night.

[TunipTheUnconquerable]

Don't know about cat diseases but ticks can carry some very nasty human diseases, so I expect so.

[Fluffycloudland77]

Well I've bought a tick remover and tried to get it off but it's hurting him so I've stopped. It's a red sore area now.

It's the oddest thing I've seen on him.

[SpandexBallet]

When we had dogs we'd use white spirits to remove ticks, just douse some cotton wool in it and hold it onto the tick. It would suffocate the tick and they would let go and come out easy. Either that or a blob of Vaseline as it does the same job.

Can't imagine it's as easy on a cat though, far more squirmy than a dopey retriever

[mrsnec]

I think it could be either. Tics do look like black scabs before they aren't engorged with blood then they have a kind of grey lump. I would try the tips above to get it off in case it is a tic. Ours got one a while ago and it infected her before it became engorged. She got a disease called heamobartollenosis which I think is like Lyme disease and effects the blood. Our vet saved her but she was in for a week on iv antibiotics but I'm paranoid about them now. Not trying to scare you just sharing my experience. We also got an implement now for removing them as there is a danger of infection if part of the tic stays in, and frontline regularly we are very rural and she is outdoors and neighbours keep goats so vet suggested every 3 weeks in spring and summer not 4.

[Fluffycloudland77]

I got most of it off last night & he perked up a few hours later. I've kept the tool.

We lived in the countryside until he was 3 and never got anything like it.

[mrsnec]

Thats good news I can't remember how long after removal that ours got poorly but I do remember the first symptom was lethargy. We found her the other side of our garden wall we went out looking when she didn't come in for tea and she didn't have the energy to jump over and was very depressed about it so yours sounds like it'll be ok. I don't think they are very common to be honest.

[Fluffycloudland77]

The most annoying thing is he's seen two vets this week who went through his fur looking for injuries but they never found it & I hadn't cottoned on that the black thing on his neck was much bigger than all the other scabs on his neck.

[mrsnec]

I think they can be like that sometimes, we took ours in straight away and the vet sent us home, it was only when there was no change over night and we went straight back in first thing that he diagnosed. I'd keep an eye out you'll know yourself if there's something really wrong but I agree it's frustrating.