How To Remove a Tick From a Cat—Steps To Take · Kinship

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How To Remove a Tick From a Cat

Yes, it is possible.

by Dr. Alycia Washington, DVM, MS
May 29, 2025
Cute cat playing outside in the grass.
Alba Vitta Studio / Stocksy

In This Article:

How Do Cats Get Ticks? How To Know If A Cat Has Ticks How Do You Remove A Tick From A Cat? How To Remove a Tick from a Cat: The Necessary Tools How To Remove a Tick From A Cat

Ticks are up there with mosquitoes and cockroaches as one of the most hated bugs in the world. They suck blood. They spread disease. They’re just gross. So, when you find a tick on your cat, you want to get rid of it ASAP. Let’s talk about how to identify and remove ticks from your cat.

Main takeaways

  • Ticks are small, eight-legged arachnids that can be black, brown, reddish, or gray when engorged with blood.

  • The goals of tick removal are to remove the tick in its entirety as soon as possible.

  • To remove a tick, use tweezers to grab the tick as close to the skin as possible, then use even pressure to pull the tick upward.

  • Don’t twist, squeeze, or crush ticks. Avoid using nail polish, petroleum jelly, or matches. Don’t apply canine tick products to cats.

  • Watch for skin irritation or signs of illness after a tick is removed. If seen, seek veterinary advice.

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How do cats get ticks?

Ticks are small, hardy pests that live in tall grass or woody areas. Because ticks don’t jump or fly, they tend to get access to pets and people by holding onto outdoor plants with four of their legs, leaving the other four free to grab onto whatever is in reach. They can grasp onto a cat’s fur while outside, or hitch a ride indoors on our shoes, clothing, or on other animals before finding their way to an indoor cat.

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A cat sitting in a tall grassy area.

How to Prevent and Treat Ticks On Cats

Two veterinarians’ pro tips for preventing your cat from picking up ticks (and how to remove them if it’s too late for that).

How to know if a cat has ticks

If your cat (or any pet) ventures outside — or if you live in an area where ticks are common — you should give your cat the occasional once-over to make sure there aren’t any ticks on their skin. If you think you see a tick, confirm that you’re actually seeing a tick before you gather tick removal tools and mull over techniques to remove a tick from a cat. 

Get familiar with what ticks look like before you start plucking things off your cat. In my years of practice, I’ve had enough pet parents tell me, “I found a tick on my cat and had a hard time removing it, so now I want to get them checked out.” The number of times the “tick” was a skin tag, small growth, or nipple is too damn high. So, how do you know that what you found is a tick?

What do ticks look like?

Ticks are eight-legged arachnids (think: spider cousins) that can range in size from 1 to 10 millimeters. Ticks have tiny heads, flat bodies, and are usually brown, black, or reddish in color. When ticks are feeding, they bury their heads under the skin, and their bodies can more than double in size as they become engorged with blood. While engorged, they can appear gray in color.  

Ticks can be found anywhere on a cat’s body. But they tend to be found on a cat’s head, neck, and ears. The best way to search for ticks on your cat is to run your hands through their fur and take a look inside their ears (don’t ignore the ear folds!). 

How do you remove a tick from a cat? 

There are two goals when removing a tick from a cat: Remove it promptly and remove it in its entirety. Ticks can infect cats with nasty diseases — including Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, and hemobartonellosis. The longer a tick is attached to your cat, the more opportunity it has to pass on infection. And infection is still possible if only the body is removed but the head is still attached.

To remove a tick, you want to use tweezers to grab a hold of the tick as close to the skin as possible. Then, use even pressure to pull the tick upward until it’s detached from the skin. Once the tick is detached, confirm that the head didn’t remain in the skin. After removal, gently clean the area where the tick was attached and inspect the skin to look for signs of skin inflammation. 

Here’s what not to do during tick removal from a cat:

  • Don’t twist as you pull — this may cause part of the head to break off and remain in the cat’s skin. 

  • Don’t squeeze or crush the tick. All you’re doing is pushing saliva and stomach contents (where disease lives) into the cat’s skin. 

  • Don’t apply nail polish, rubbing alcohol, or petroleum jelly (Vaseline) in an attempt to “suffocate” the tick. It doesn’t work and can just make it more difficult to properly grab it with tweezers. 

  • Don’t try to burn the tick with a recently lit match. Ticks are hardy and don’t care about the heat enough to release from the skin. Plus, you may accidentally burn your cat. 

  • Don’t use dog products to kill ticks on a cat. Canine tick repellants may contain ingredients, like pyrethrins and permethrins, that are toxic to cats.

How to remove a tick from a cat: the necessary tools

The best way to remove a tick from a cat is to use the proper tools. Here’s what you need:

  • Gloves

  • Tick-removing tool (i.e., tweezers, small forceps, specialized tick-removing tool)

  • Rubbing alcohol

  • Disposal supplies (rubbing alcohol, sealable container, duct tape)

  • Mild soap and water or a cat-safe wound cleanser (like diluted povidone iodine)

How to remove a tick from a cat

Once you have all of your supplies, you can follow these steps to safely remove a tick from your cat:

Step 1: Grab a buddy (if needed).

Removing a tick may be a two-person job, especially if your cat is super wiggly or generally uncooperative. Having help can make things a lot easier and help prevent accidental tick squishing. 

Step 2: Wear gloves.

Protect yourself from tick bites to avoid the risk of tick-borne disease. 

Step 3: Use your tool.

Use your tweezers (or tool of your choice) to grab the tick as close to the skin as possible without pinching your cat. You want to achieve a firm grasp of the tick without squeezing the body. 

Step 4: Pull the tick off.

Use the tweezers to apply even pressure to lift the tick upward until it’s detached from your cat. Pull straight up — don’t twist.

Step 5: Dispose of the tick.

You may be tempted to fling the tick across the room, especially if it’s agitated and wiggling all eight of its legs, but don’t do this. You’re just setting it free to potentially spread disease again. Instead, dispose of the tick using one of these options:

  • Place it in a sealed container with rubbing alcohol

  • Wrap it tightly in duct tape (or packing tape)

  • Flush it down the toilet

Step 6: Clean up.

Cleanse your cat’s skin with mild soap and water, or a cat-safe antiseptic. Dispose of your gloves and wash your hands thoroughly. 

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Veterinarian checking large dog's skin and fur.

Vet-Recommended Flea-and-Tick Treatments

Learn what is best for your pet.

When to seek expert help

It’s OK to seek assistance if DIY tick removal is not working out. Maybe you’re feeling too squeamish. Maybe your cat isn’t tolerating the process. Or maybe the tick just won’t get out of your cat’s skin. 

If you’re having difficulty removing a tick, get some help. What you don’t want to do is wait it out. Just because a tick looks engorged doesn’t mean it's going to leave the buffet table anytime soon. Ticks can remain on the same host for weeks, and the longer a tick stays on your cat, the higher the risk of transmission of tick-borne disease. 

What if tick removal was successful — do you still need to see a vet? Not necessarily. If the tick was removed completely, your cat’s skin looks fine, and your cat is acting normally, there’s no need to rush to the vet. If the skin looks red, inflamed, or infected, have your vet check it out. Additionally, you should keep an eye on your cat for a while after the tick is gone, because symptoms of tick-borne diseases may not show up for a few weeks.

If your cat seems unwell after tick removal, have them checked out and tell your vet that your cat had a tick. Your vet may recommend testing for tick-borne diseases. Signs of tick-borne disease in cats can include:

  • Lethary

  • Poor appetite

  • Fever

  • Swollen lymph nodes

  • Stiff gait

  • Joint pain

  • Jaundice (yellowing of the eyes, skin, and gums)

Bottom line

Both indoor and outdoor cats can be bitten by ticks, especially in regions where ticks are common. Tick removal should be performed promptly and carefully, ensuring that no part of the tick’s head is left embedded in the skin. The sooner a tick is removed, the lower the risk of your cat developing a tick-borne illness. Talk to your vet about the best flea and tick prevention for your cat. 

References

alycia washington, dvm

Dr. Alycia Washington, DVM, MS

Alycia Washington, DVM, is a small animal emergency veterinarian based in North Carolina. She works as a relief veterinarian and provides services to numerous emergency and specialty hospitals. She also works as a veterinary writer with a focus on educating pet owners.

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