In Katy and Cypress, where lush lawns, greenbelt trails, and backyard patios are part of everyday life, ticks are an often-overlooked issue. While most people associate ticks with wooded areas, these pests are just as likely to be found around fence lines, shady yard edges, tall grass, and even playground mulch especially during the warm, humid Texas seasons.
Lone Star Tick: Aggressive and common across Texas, known for transmitting ehrlichiosis and other diseases.
American Dog Tick: Often found in grassy areas and capable of carrying Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
Brown Dog Tick: Prefers residential areas and can thrive indoors if brought inside by pets.
Tick bites can transmit serious illnesses to humans and pets.
Ticks are known vectors for a range of illnesses including Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. In Texas, the Lone Star Tick is particularly concerning due to its ability to transmit multiple pathogens. These illnesses can lead to fever, fatigue, joint pain, and other long-term complications if not treated promptly especially in young children, older adults, and pets.
Ticks latch on for extended periods, often going unnoticed.
Unlike other insects that bite and move on, ticks embed themselves into the skin and remain attached for several hours or even days while feeding. Their saliva contains numbing agents that make bites painless and easy to miss. This extended attachment increases the likelihood of disease transmission, especially when ticks go undetected in hard-to-see areas like the scalp, behind ears, or under pet fur.
Outdoor pets can carry ticks indoors, turning a backyard issue into a household one.
Dogs and cats that spend time outside are particularly vulnerable to picking up ticks in the grass, mulch, or shade. Once attached, these ticks can be brought inside on your pet’s fur or collar creating a risk for the rest of the household. Ticks can then transfer to bedding, furniture, or even bite humans indoors, making proactive outdoor tick control a key step in whole-home prevention.