SEEDS CAN PENETRATE AN ANIMAL'S BODY

I posted about the problem of seeds getting into an animal's skin in July a couple of years ago (Seeds penetrating animal skin) and this year the seed problem arrived later. Alfie, the resident Ragdoll cat, has been coming in with various kinds of seeds working their way through his thick fur. The seeds really are a nuisance and it's necessary to watch out for them as they can be serious if roots form and they penetrate the skin of an animal's body, ears, between their toes, and particularly their eyes. 

Seeds penetrating a cat's paws

Isn't nature clever though, the way the seeds are all pointing towards his skin. The picture above shows them on my cat's paw.

Seeds removed from animal fur

All the seeds in the brush above were removed, at one time, from around my cat's neck and paw. 

Grass seeds burrowing into an animal's skin

Seed burrowing into an animal's face

The weed, Galium aparine (commonly known as sticky willy, and the RHS calls them 'Cleavers'), which is sticky and clings to everything it touches, also produces nuisance sticky round seeds which I often find on the pads of my cat's feet. It would appear this is how the weed manages to spread far and wide. 

Galium aparine (sticky willy) weed spreading across plants

Sorry for the below poor image of the Galium aparine seeds. They are tiny.