As National Tick Awareness Month approaches this September, a landmark study of over 10,000 cases reveals where paralysis ticks prefer to hide on pets—including critical places feline parents frequently overlook.
Paralysis tick season is already proving brutal, with emergency veterinary hospitals reporting a 29% surge in cases across New South Wales compared to the previous year. According to data from the Small Animal Specialist Hospital (SASH), staff treated over 400 pets for tick paralysis between August 2025 and February 2026. Alarmingly, vets report seeing active cases throughout the winter months, proving that paralysis ticks (Ixodes holocyclus) are no longer just a spring and summer threat.
With cases also rising in indoor-outdoor cats and pets that travel into tick-endemic coastal regions with their families, Australian cat owners are being urged to maintain year-round vigilance and effective preventive protection.
Where Do Ticks Hide on Cats? Landmark Study Pinpoints Attachment Sites
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Infographic source: Attachment-site preferences of Ixodes holocyclus study supported by NexGard SPECTRA® (Teo, EJM., et al. 2025). |
A landmark Australian study analysing over 10,000 tick paralysis cases across Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast, and Sydney’s Northern Beaches has provided crucial insights into feline attachment sites:
Head, Neck, and Ears: Accounted for 63% of all ticks found on cats. Cats grooming their bodies often force ticks to target areas the cat cannot easily reach with their tongue.
Unusual Hiding Spots: Researchers identified critical hidden attachment sites, including inside the mouth (on the gums and lip folds), deep within the external ear canals, around the groin, and occasionally at the base of the tail.
Finding and removing a paralysis tick as quickly as possible is life-saving, as the neurotoxin injected by the tick continually worsens the longer it remains attached.
“Finding and removing the tick quickly is critical,” explains Dr. Tim Hopkins, Emergency Veterinarian at SASH Northern Beaches. “Many people check the obvious places on the body but don’t realise ticks can also attach inside the mouth or deep within ear canals—hidden sites that can delay detection and increase the risk of severe, life-threatening illness.”
Vets emphasise that alongside daily searches, maintaining effective, feline-safe tick preventive treatment all year round is the strongest line of defence.
Real-Life Feline Emergencies: Pumpkin & Gummy
The speed at which tick paralysis escalates can catch even the most diligent owners off guard.
Pumpkin's Story:
Pumpkin's tale highlights why cats need prevention all year round. After disappearing for three days, Pumpkin returned home completely unable to stand, leaving his owners fearing the worst and rushing him to SASH Sunshine Coast.
Emergency Veterinarians discovered he was suffering from severe tick paralysis, featuring a significantly reduced gag reflex and severe breathing difficulty.
As Pumpkin's treatment progressed, the team uncovered another surprise: after clipping his coat, they discovered a large paralysis tick hidden at the base of his tail—an unusual attachment site.
Vets also found a crater-like wound on his neck, likely where a second tick had previously attached. Pumpkin required four days of intensive hospital care before making a full recovery.
Gummy's Story:
Gummy, a four-year-old domestic medium hair cat, was rushed to SASH Northern Beaches after suddenly becoming weak, floppy, and struggling to breathe.
Vets discovered two paralysis ticks on her neck, and within hours, her condition deteriorated into life-threatening respiratory failure as her breathing muscles fatigued.
Gummy required emergency intubation and mechanical ventilation to stay alive. Over seven days, an expert critical care team and ICU nurses provided 24/7 advanced life support—including ventilator care, tick antiserum, sedation, and round-the-clock nursing.
Against the odds, Gummy gradually regained the strength to breathe on her own and was able to walk and eat independently by day seven before heading home.
Watch Gummy's incredible ICU journey and recovery video on the SASH Facebook Page.
Early Warning Signs in Cats
Vets advise owners to seek immediate emergency care if they notice early warning signs, including:
Voice Change: A weak, altered, or silent meow.
Weakness: Wobbliness in the hind legs, difficulty jumping, or sudden collapse.
Breathing Changes: Laboured, rapid, or heavy breathing (often panting or open-mouth breathing).
Digestive Distress: Coughing, gagging, subtle retching, or vomiting.
Daily Feline Tick Search Routine
Even when using an effective preventive, performing a thorough daily physical search remains a vital line of defence against tick paralysis:
✔ The 'Finger Walk': Gently move your fingertips through your cat's coat right down to skin level, feeling for any small bumps, scabs, craters, or raised areas.
✔ Start at the Top: Focus on the head, face, cheeks, and neck first. Carefully check inside the ear flaps, under any collar, and look gently inside the lips and gums.
✔ Paws & Legs: Move down the front legs to the paws, checking thoroughly between the toes, around the pads, and under the armpits.
✔ Body & Tail: Search the chest, belly, back, groin, and—as Pumpkin's case shows—all the way down to the base and tip of the tail.
For more information on paralysis tick prevention, visit your local veterinarian or consult the NexGard Range.
Reference: Teo, EJM., et al. (2025) Attachment-site preferences of Ixodes holocyclus, the eastern paralysis tick of Australia: insights from 10,311 cases of tick infestations in dogs and cats. Australian Veterinary Journal.
