Mosquitoes and Pets: Mosquito Protection Basics for Pets

Mosquitoes and pets tend not to get along. It is important that you take steps to protect your pets from mosquitoes next spring. That protection starts now because your cats, dogs, rabbits, and other pets are just as susceptible to mosquito bite diseases as you are.

Mosquitoes bite to draw your blood, not to feed, but to use as a source of protein to create their eggs. That’s why only female mosquitoes bite you. The males are very happy to feed on the nectar they find in the plants around their garden. They have no interest in you, unless you are crushing them as they fly away. It is the women who focus on you.

They don’t care if that protein comes from cat blood, dog blood, horse blood, or human blood; they don’t care. Just a protein source that allows them to reproduce. Your pets don’t know how to protect themselves and they depend on you to do it for them. That is how!

Mosquitoes and Pets: Mosquito Control Tips for Your Pets

The main methods of protecting your pets from mosquitoes focus on separation: keep your pets away from mosquitoes. When it comes to your pets, mosquito control involves keeping them indoors (pets!) When mosquitoes are most active: early morning and early evening. Tiddles and Bonzo should be safe on hot sunny days, although mosquitoes can be active in hot climates with good cloud cover.

This is particularly the case in areas where mosquitoes swarm. You can expect this near rivers and streams, wetlands, salt marshes, and stagnant ponds. This is the type of water where mosquitoes breed, and as nymphs become adults, especially in early spring, there may be swarms of these insects around their favorite breeding grounds. Keep your pets away from these areas until the swarms die off. Even then, be careful, or better yet, treat these areas to control the production of new mosquitoes.

Mosquito control in gardens and shrubs

Make sure your garden or patios are free of containers that can hold water during the winter. If you have old buckets or birdbaths that have been laying down from fall to spring, you can be pretty sure they will contain mosquito eggs or even hatched nymphs waiting for spring.

Don’t let this happen, the remedy is very simple! Remove all of these containers from your garden and check to see that there are no old puddles of standing water, that your gutters are clean and free flowing, and that your drains look clean and tidy. These are common places where mosquitoes breed.

Another potential, and often quite serious, problem is the amount of vegetation and shrubs in your yard. Your pets like to investigate these areas and they likely contain colonies of mosquitoes that rest for the winter, but are not afraid to attack the animals if disturbed. A good mosquito control spray is usually effective here.

Not all mosquitoes die in winter

Not all mosquitoes die in winter, but they can hide in deep grass and under the leaves of bushes and trees around your home. When spring comes, they will attack you and your pets in their desperate search for blood. One little point here that many pet owners overlook: If you generally feed your animals outdoors in the summer and fall, you can leave the bowls outside for the winter.

These are common breeding areas for mosquitoes, so clean them up or, better yet, bring them indoors. It only takes a few days – a dog bowl left outside for 5 days in hot weather can produce hundreds of biting mosquitoes.

Use a non-toxic mosquito spray

If you decide to use insecticide, usually in the form of a mosquito spray, make sure it is not DEET-based. This substance can be dangerous for small animals. In fact, many are still unsure of its safety for humans, so you should use a natural insecticide such as citronella or picaridin, which is considered safer than DEET. Your vet should be able to advise you on the insecticide to use to protect your pets from mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes and pets don’t mix well, and it’s wise to take extra care with your dog or cat, or even your horse in hot weather when insects are active. Check your yard and garden, and the area around your home for potential mosquito breeding areas.

Also check your kitchen, basement and garage because they can be very attractive areas of your home for mosquitoes during the winter. With proper care, your pets should be as safe from mosquitoes as you are.