Mosquitoes are annoying for both you and your cat. But aside from the irritation these pesky insects cause, they can also spread diseases to your cat - the most dire being heartworms. Heartworms are passed from cat to cat by mosquitoes.
Mosquitos are mainly a nuisance to us, but they can transmit fatal heartworm disease to cats. 6 Because cats are not ideal hosts for the heartworm, infection is uncommon. However, when a cat does get heartworm disease, the worms take up residence in the lungs.
In felines, mosquito bite hypersensitivity and heartworm disease are the primary concerns. Mosquito bite hypersensitivity. This condition is the result of a reaction of the cat's immune system to a mosquito bite. In cats, this exhibits as lesions, scaling or raw ulcers in the area of the bite.
Protecting Your Dogs and Cats from Mosquitoes. Because of the serious nature of the diseases spread by mosquitos, protecting our pets is of utmost importance. Heartworm is the most common mosquito-borne disease in pets.
Instead, chasing, killing, and eating bugs all relates back to your cat's natural-born instinct to hunt. Most domesticated cats don't get the chance to “hunt” for their food, but the instinct remains—even in the laziest of cats!
Cats can also get heartworms after being bitten by an infected mosquito, although they are not as susceptible to infection as dogs. A cat is not a natural host of heartworms because the worms do not thrive as well inside a cat's body. Both indoor and outdoor cats are at risk for heartworm disease.
While humans are always at risk of mosquito bites, our furry pets aren't in the clear. Not only can these bites be annoying for your dog or cat, but they can also be dangerous for their health.
Citrus or lemon scents (orange peels, lemon peels), garlic, ammonia, vinegar, coffee grinds, pipe tobacco, mustard, citronella, or eucalyptus all deter cats as well. The scents diminish over time, so re-applying is necessary.
Bracelets are made from natural substances such as Citronella, Lemongrass, and Geraniol Essential Oils. This wristband can be used by babies,adults or pets safely.
Citronella oil is a homemade cat repellent that many people have had success with. Citronella is best known as a mosquito repellent, but cats find the Citronella odor to be distasteful. Simply mix one part Citronella oil to four parts water and spray liberally in the troubled areas.
Cats and other animals can consume maggots while grooming or when eating flesh infested with the maggots. In most cases, these maggots pass through the animal undigested.
Though mosquitoes are most known for infecting dogs with heartworms, which cannot be spread to humans, dogs can also contract other viruses like Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), sometimes referred to as sleeping sickness.
The citronella plant is toxic to pets and topical exposure can cause a rash. Large ingestions of the plant or oil can cause vomiting, weakness, depression, and hypothermia.
Change water bowls frequently. Fit windows and doors of your home with screens to prevent mosquitoes entering. Use insect repellants with caution. Products with DEET are not recommended for cats and many repellants with essential oils have not been tested for effectiveness or safety.
Eating and ingesting spiders is also unlikely to cause problems, unless the cat is bitten in the mouth, as any venom will be deactivated during the digestion process.
At a distance of 1 meter, DEET and oil of lemon eucalyptus sprays reduced mosquito attraction by 60%. The only wearable device that worked was an OFF! clip-on fan containing the insecticide metofluthrin.
Many essential oils, such as eucalyptus oil, tea tree oil, cinnamon, citrus, peppermint, pine, wintergreen, and ylang ylang are straight up toxic to pets. These are toxic whether they are applied to the skin, used in diffusers or licked up in the case of a spill.
This appliance is used to attract flying insects such as flies, moths & mosquitoes. When these pests encounter the high voltage electric grids, they will be electrocuted instantly. The UV-light tubes are completely harmless to humans and pets.
As a general rule, cats are sensitive when it comes to smells, but there are a few scents they hate that might just surprise you. They can't stand citrus and as much as you might love the smell of fresh herbs, cats hate rosemary and thyme. Banana and mustard are a big no-no too, as well as lavender and eucalyptus.
Cats dislike the smell of certain scents, such as citrus, eucalyptus, lavender, peppermint, and rosemary. You can use these scents to deter cats from entering certain areas of your home or garden by using essential oils, planting these plants, or using citrus peels.
Orange and lemon peels (cats dislike citrus smells), cayenne pepper, coffee grounds, pipe tobacco, lavender oil, lemon grass oil, citronella oil, peppermint oil, eucalyptus oil, & mustard oil.
New research, published this week in iScience, suggests that when cats play with (and damage) either catnip or silver vine, the plants' leaves actually emit higher levels of chemical compounds that do have a benefit: repelling mosquitoes.
Compounds in catnip are at least as effective as DEET (and potentially up to 10x more effective) at repelling mosquitoes. Fresh, home-grown catnip can be vigorously rubbed between your hands then applied to your skin to provide ~30 minutes of mosquito-free time.
Heartworm infection can be fatal or severely debilitating for cats, so preventive medication is recommended for all cats, whether they live indoors or outdoors.
Both indoor cats and outdoor cats are at risk of contracting worms. Infestation depends on the type of worm, but most often, cats get worms by coming into contact with fleas, eggs or infected particles in feces. Fleas are carriers for tapeworm eggs.