This article was co-authored by Deanne Pawlisch, CVT, MA. Deanne Pawlisch is a Certified Veterinary Technician, who does corporate training for veterinary practices and has taught at the NAVTA-approved Veterinary Assistant Program at the Harper College in Illinois and in 2011 was elected to the board of the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Foundation. Deanne has been a Board Member of the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Foundation in San Antonio, Texas since 2011. She holds a BS in Anthropology from Loyola University and an MA in Anthropology from Northern Illinois University.
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Mosquitos are a serious threat to the health and welfare of household cats. They carry a wide variety of diseases and can cause problems for cats with mosquito bite hypersensitivity. Thankfully, by using specific products, limiting your cat’s time outside, and working with your veterinarian, you’ll be better able to protect your cat from mosquito bites.
Steps
Using Products to Deal with Mosquito Bites
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1Provide your cat with a heartworm prevention product. Perhaps the most common risk for cats associated with mosquito bites are heartworms. Heartworms are transmitted through mosquito bites and can destroy your cat’s cardiovascular system and cut their lifespan short.[1]
- Heartworm prevention is typically administered to dogs and cats monthly.
- Heartworm prevention can be given to your cat orally or topically.
- Heartguard and Revolution are popular heartworm prevention brands.
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2Use a picaridin product designed for cats. Out of the many popular mosquito repellants, picaridin has been shown to be safe for cats. As a result, when looking for a repellant product, you may want to choose a picaridin product that is formulated for cats.[2]
- Consult your vet before using a specific product.
- Picaridin products may come in spray or lotion form.
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3Avoid using bug spray products not approved for cats. Many human (and dog) products are not safe for cats. If you give your cat certain products, you may poison or even kill it.
- Don’t give your cat any products with DEET.
- Permethrin products can kill cats. This is one of the most common ways that cats throughout the world are poisoned.[3]
- Check with your vet before using any repellant on your cat.
Limiting Time Outside
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1Avoid letting your cat out at certain times of the day. While mosquitos are active throughout the day, there are certain times that are a lot worse than others. Mosquitos are especially bad at:
- Dawn
- Dusk
- Nighttime[4]
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2Limit time out during the summer or rainy season. Just as certain parts of the day are worse than others, so are certain parts of the year. As a result, you should consider limiting your cat’s outdoor time during certain parts of the year.[5]
- Don’t let your cat out during the rainy season. If it rains daily or several times a week, you’ll likely have a much larger population of mosquitos around your home.
- Keep your cat in when daily highs begin to move above 55 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit (13 to 18 degrees Celsius).
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3Turn your cat into an indoor cat. If you are really concerned about the risk of mosquito bites, you might consider turning your cat into an indoor cat. By keeping your cat indoors, you’ll dramatically decrease the risk of mosquito bites and mosquito-borne illnesses.[6]
- If your cat is used to playing outside, you may need to provide plenty of new toys so it will have something to do inside.
- If your cat has been an outdoor cat for many years, it might be very hard to successfully transition it to a life inside. You will need to judge for yourself how your cat reacts to their new life.
Consulting Your Veterinarian
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1Ask your vet if there are any steps you can take to protect your cat. Your vet likely has insight into ways you can protect your cat from mosquito bites. Thus, you should initiate a conversation with your vet about it.
- Tell your vet you are concerned about mosquito bites and mosquito-borne diseases. For instance, say “Yoda spends a lot of time outside, and our yard is fairly wet. I’m concerned he’s getting bit by mosquitos.”
- Ask your vet’s advice about what you can do to limit the chance of your cat getting bitten by mosquitos. For example, say “Is there anything I can do so Yoda doesn’t get bitten all the time?”
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2Keep annual and semiannual appointments. Despite all the steps you take to protect your cat, it may be impossible to eliminate the risk of mosquito bites. As a result, you need to keep annual and semiannual appointments so your vet can evaluate your cat’s health.
- Your vet will physically examine your cat. If mosquito bites present an issue, they may be able to observe this.
- Your vet will run blood work on your cat so they can have a better idea of if your cat suffers from mosquito-borne disease (or other health problems).
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3Talk to your vet about mosquito bite hypersensitivity. A minority of cats have mosquito bite hypersensitivity. This is a condition in which the cat’s immune system will have a substantial reaction to a bite. It could cause severe skin issues and possibly lead to a dangerous allergic reaction.[7]
- Your cat may have mosquito bite hypersensitivity if it develops red, inflamed, lesions around the site of a bite.
- Your vet may take a biopsy of the affected area of skin.
- Your vet will ask you to confine the cat indoors for up to a week to see if the skin lesions disappear.
- Your vet may treat mosquito bite hypersensitivity with corticosteroids.
References
- ↑ https://www.heartwormsociety.org/pet-owner-resources/heartworm-basics
- ↑ https://novacatclinic.com/how-can-i-protect-my-cat-from-mosquitos/
- ↑ https://novacatclinic.com/how-can-i-protect-my-cat-from-mosquitos/
- ↑ http://www.mosquitomagnet.com/articles/when-are-mosquitoes-most-active
- ↑ http://www.mosquitoreviews.com/mosquito-season.html
- ↑ https://www.petfinder.com/cats/cat-care/transitioning-outdoor-cat/
- ↑ http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?c=1+2141&aid=194
About This Article
To protect your cat from mosquito bites, use a mosquito repellent designed for cats that has picaridin in it, which is effective and safe for use on cats. Avoid using human or dog mosquito repellents on cats since they could be toxic and even fatal. In addition to using a mosquito repellent, you should give your cat a heartworm prevention medication monthly so it's safe even if a mosquito does manage to bite it. Additionally, if your cat is an outdoor cat, try to avoid letting it out at dawn, dusk, or night since that's when mosquitoes are the most active. For tips from our Veterinary co-author, like how to recognize the symptoms of mosquito bite hypersensitivity, read on.
