What is the cat bringing into the house?

jcireland
New Member

Posts: 11

What is the cat bringing into the house? Jul 11, 2020 12:09:26 GMT -8

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Post by jcireland on Jul 11, 2020 12:09:26 GMT -8

Location: West of Ireland

Hi folks, I've noticed that our outdoor cat is regularly bringing in little bugs into the house. The obvious thing I thought is "they're ticks", but there's something about them that makes me doubt it.

Images:

photos.app.goo.gl/fH22fjBKpUJAwMvX6

photos.app.goo.gl/j7zT87k3wSpwtV3L6

photos.app.goo.gl/jmvPuxhH3R5zbxWa8

photos.app.goo.gl/LwiaC9PauBsixjWdA

photos.app.goo.gl/6tJsiYR132CC7unv8

Videos:

photos.app.goo.gl/LwiaC9PauBsixjWdA

photos.app.goo.gl/1fryc72kiGB6gSgD7

- they sort of look like they have a shell, and their ends are flat, not round

- they're legs don't seem lanky enough and they also seem very rigid, not flexible

- they're terrible at climbing

- they don't seem to have any interest in biting me

- they're extremely slow-moving

- they're always pretty much dead

We gave the cat some spot-on lately, but even before then the ones I found always seemed to be dead or almost dead. Is there anything else they could be?

Thanks very much if you can help!

nomihoudai Darwin Claude Posts: 1,618	What is the cat bringing into the house? Jul 11, 2020 12:39:03 GMT -8 via mobile kevinkk likes this Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by nomihoudai on Jul 11, 2020 12:39:03 GMT -8 We can tell you, but it will cost $20.
	lepimap.click - butterfly distribution lists.

jcireland New Member Posts: 11	What is the cat bringing into the house? Jul 11, 2020 12:56:24 GMT -8 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by jcireland on Jul 11, 2020 12:56:24 GMT -8 Jul 11, 2020 12:39:03 GMT -8 nomihoudai said: We can tell you, but it will cost $20. Not sure how to respond to this

Adam Cotton Moderator Posts: 3,496 Country: Thailand	What is the cat bringing into the house? Jul 11, 2020 13:53:09 GMT -8 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Adam Cotton on Jul 11, 2020 13:53:09 GMT -8 Sorry about the previous response, he's rather tired of the forum being used for questions like this. This seems to be a mite (note that it has 8 rather than 6 legs), so is not an insect. Adam.

jcireland New Member Posts: 11	What is the cat bringing into the house? Jul 11, 2020 14:23:24 GMT -8 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by jcireland on Jul 11, 2020 14:23:24 GMT -8 Thanks for explaining. I saw other questions and thought it was ok to ask. Off I go to ArachnidNet then I suppose.

jcireland New Member Posts: 11	What is the cat bringing into the house? Jul 11, 2020 14:26:32 GMT -8 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by jcireland on Jul 11, 2020 14:26:32 GMT -8 If there are any professional analysis services you can recommend, I definitely accept that too. I have a bit of a phobia about things like this and it's all making me quite anxious, to be honest.

lamprima2 Premium Member - 2022 Posts: 157	What is the cat bringing into the house? Jul 11, 2020 15:31:16 GMT -8 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by lamprima2 on Jul 11, 2020 15:31:16 GMT -8 Is it 3-4 mm long, with a flat body? If so, it is a tick. Be careful: they do bite, transmitting Lyme and other diseases. I would not allow an outdoor cat to enter the house.

jcireland
New Member

Posts: 11

What is the cat bringing into the house? Jul 11, 2020 15:36:58 GMT -8 via mobile

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Post by jcireland on Jul 11, 2020 15:36:58 GMT -8

Jul 11, 2020 15:31:16 GMT -8 lamprima2 said:

Is it 3-4 mm long, with a flat body? If so, it is a tick. Be careful: they do bite, transmitting Lyme and other diseases.
I would not allow an outdoor cat to enter the house.

They don't seem flat, no. It seems to have ridges on the side and its end is angled. The bigger ones almost look like they have something shell-like.

Last Edit: Jul 11, 2020 15:40:28 GMT -8 by jcireland

jcireland New Member Posts: 11	What is the cat bringing into the house? Jul 11, 2020 15:42:04 GMT -8 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by jcireland on Jul 11, 2020 15:42:04 GMT -8
	Last Edit: Jul 11, 2020 15:43:18 GMT -8 by jcireland

lamprima2 Premium Member - 2022 Posts: 157	What is the cat bringing into the house? Jul 11, 2020 16:09:32 GMT -8 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by lamprima2 on Jul 11, 2020 16:09:32 GMT -8 Tick's body can be round-shaped if it is filled with blood. Consult your local Pest Control company.

kevinkk
Premium Member - 2022

Posts: 827
Country: Oregon,USA

What is the cat bringing into the house? Jul 11, 2020 19:03:00 GMT -8 Adam Cotton likes this

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Post by kevinkk on Jul 11, 2020 19:03:00 GMT -8

Looks like a tick to me, one that's been feeding possibly, seems kind of large for a mite, but maybe they're bigger in Ireland.
I'm not sure if Lyme disease is present outside of the USA, it's named for a town somewhere in the states. But in any event, you
don't want them in the house r on your pets.

jcireland New Member Posts: 11	What is the cat bringing into the house? Jul 12, 2020 1:26:13 GMT -8 via mobile Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by jcireland on Jul 12, 2020 1:26:13 GMT -8 Thanks very much everyone. One other thing is that these are very easy to squash. Aren't ticks supposed to be hard to kill?

lamprima2
Premium Member - 2022

Posts: 157

What is the cat bringing into the house? Jul 12, 2020 16:53:25 GMT -8

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Post by lamprima2 on Jul 12, 2020 16:53:25 GMT -8

Jul 11, 2020 19:03:00 GMT -8 kevinkk said:

Looks like a tick to me, one that's been feeding possibly, seems kind of large for a mite, but maybe they're bigger in Ireland.
I'm not sure if Lyme disease is present outside of the USA, it's named for a town somewhere in the states. But in any event, you
don't want them in the house r on your pets.

Are you banned from Google? Otherwise, please consult this source before saying "I am not sure".
Lyme disease is widespread across the N. Hemisphere.

nomihoudai
Darwin

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What is the cat bringing into the house? Jul 12, 2020 17:48:42 GMT -8 via mobile

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Post by nomihoudai on Jul 12, 2020 17:48:42 GMT -8

They are some kind of mite as Adam said. The piece of wood is a matchbox? That is way too small for a tick. And as you said, ticks are hard to smash. Lyme disease does exist in Europe. They call it Borreliose. It's in some sense less bad than the North American version.

lepimap.click - butterfly distribution lists.

jcireland
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Posts: 11

What is the cat bringing into the house? Jul 13, 2020 9:24:57 GMT -8

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Post by jcireland on Jul 13, 2020 9:24:57 GMT -8

Yes, it's a long matchstick, but indeed a matchstick. I randomly found a predatory mite in the house last night (one of those speedy ones that feels its way in front of itself as it runs) and the largest tick/mite I've found was the same size.

The predatory mite also expired pretty quickly like the unknown ones - it was dead by this morning.

I've been searching loads trying to find other possible matches to solve this mystery... something like this is the closest I've come I think based on the sort of back plate they have (although the size is wrong).
bugguide.net/node/view/1639954/bgpage

Last Edit: Jul 13, 2020 9:36:17 GMT -8 by jcireland

What is the cat bringing into the house?

Post by jcireland on Jul 11, 2020 12:09:26 GMT -8

Post by nomihoudai on Jul 11, 2020 12:39:03 GMT -8

Post by jcireland on Jul 11, 2020 12:56:24 GMT -8

Post by Adam Cotton on Jul 11, 2020 13:53:09 GMT -8

Post by jcireland on Jul 11, 2020 14:23:24 GMT -8

Post by jcireland on Jul 11, 2020 14:26:32 GMT -8

Post by lamprima2 on Jul 11, 2020 15:31:16 GMT -8

Post by jcireland on Jul 11, 2020 15:36:58 GMT -8

Post by jcireland on Jul 11, 2020 15:42:04 GMT -8

Post by lamprima2 on Jul 11, 2020 16:09:32 GMT -8

Post by kevinkk on Jul 11, 2020 19:03:00 GMT -8

Post by jcireland on Jul 12, 2020 1:26:13 GMT -8

Post by lamprima2 on Jul 12, 2020 16:53:25 GMT -8

Post by nomihoudai on Jul 12, 2020 17:48:42 GMT -8

Post by jcireland on Jul 13, 2020 9:24:57 GMT -8