Prepare your pusses for the upcoming season

Here in the Central West we have had a very strange spring and winter. With temperatures being higher than normal, days of warmth followed by days of cold snaps, and even ongoing storms! We are lucky compared to some other places, such as Wagga Wagga, Bathurst and Albury as we are very prepped for a warmer summer if there is drought.

However, this is a potential issue for cats and kittens who go outside, are harnessed trained or even if you have another cat who is outdoors and others indoors. Ticks and fleas often begin emerging when there has been an increase in temperature. This means any cats that are exposed to grass areas become at risk of fleas, ticks and mites. This also includes other animals, such as dogs, puppies and even rabbits ect.

In areas where there has been more rainfall than others, this can mean larger numbers, as they both love the warm and damp conditions that help them thrive. This means even if you do have an outdoor cat, it can bring both into the home! Therefore we always recommend treating your cats on schedule where and when you can to prevent this.

We had some owners in coastal areas note that they even must check their boots and clothing when they come inside, as often they will brush fleas and ticks of them when they have been in the yard. We can also see an increased in numbers when the humidity increases, so areas such as West Sydney, Wollongong ect can also have periods where the numbers burst in response to how the weather arises, especially during the dreaded storm season!

Aside from regular treatment and maintenance, swapping brands periodically to reduce the risk of resistance building and regular brushing to check for ticks, we always recommend keeping your cat or kitten indoors, though, as mentioned above, even then they can still pick up fleas and ticks, and no one wants a flea infestation!

Another good strategy can be inviting local wildlife into your yard. Birds will often eat ticks and other insects, which can help keep numbers down. Another good tips is keeping the grass low, as this helps reduce humidity build up and exposes the bottom area to more, direct sunlight, drying it up and aiming to reduce the number of ticks that could be breeding in your lawn.