File photo.
Image Credit: Shutterstock
January 12, 2016 - 11:35 AM
KAMLOOPS - While ticks are a rarity in the winter time, officials at the Kamloops SPCA branch are advising pet owners to check their animals year-round after a cat with nine live ticks was recently surrendered.
Valerie Wilson says the cat came from a farm in Barriere where it lived in a chicken coop. While the issue may not be Kamloops specific, she says people should remain proactive on their tick checks.
“Cats go exploring, dogs can too if they’re not by you,” she says. “Talking to people I know (in Barriere) it’s been a really bad season for ticks up there."
Wilson adds there’s a separate trend in Clearwater where SPCA workers have seen an increase in fleas. She notes a number of kittens were surrendered to the Kamloops location and later died from anemia caused by the parasite.
“Unlike lice which is species-specific, fleas and ticks don’t discriminate. They will latch onto anything with a heartbeat,” Wilson says. “Even if they don’t like the area, like in Kamloops, if they have a host they will thrive."
To contact a reporter for this story, email Glynn Brothen at gbrothen@infonews.ca or call 250-319-7494. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2016