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I'll bet you
thought
heartworms
only attacked dogs!

You might not know it, but cats, even those
that live indoors, can get heartworm disease.

For many years, veterinarians were taught that cats were immune to heartworms. Only in recent years, with the new advances in testing for cats, were we able to discover that cats, too, were being bitten by mosquitoes, and having heartworms passed on to them.

How a simple mosquito bite can be deadly!

When an infected mosquito bites your cat, it deposits the heartworm larvae into the blood system. Over the next 4 months, the larvae develop and migrate through the body to the cat’s lungs. The first clinical signs seen in cats are due to an inflammatory response to the immature larva in the lungs, called Heartworm Associated Respiratory Disease (H.A.R.D.). This can often be misdiagnosed as feline asthma or allergic bronchitis.

Some cats will develop adult worms in the heart that can grow up to 10 to 14 inches in length. These adult worms cause serious disease in your cat, often resulting in acute death due to pulmonary thromboembolism.

What are the clinical signs of heartworm infection?

The infection rates in cats are much lower than dogs because cats are not ideal hosts for heartworms. This does not mean that the disease is less serious in cats. The opposite is true. This difference is due to the fact that cats have a much more intense response in their immune and inflammatory systems. Just one heartworm can cause severe illness or sudden death.

Clinical signs can include:

► Coughing / difficulty breathing

► Sluggishness

► Vomiting

► Weight loss

► Sudden death (40-50% of cats)

Is there a treatment?

Treatment for infected cats is not recommended, as it is in dogs. The treatment is very hazardous, and even deadly, to your cat.

Usually we will treat the symptoms that your cat is showing, and hope that we can keep your cat comfortable long enough for the heartworms to die off (they will live for 2-3 years). Because of the difficulty in treatment, we recommend the preventive so that you won’t have to deal with the problem of infection

But my cat is always indoors.

Heartworms are more common in outdoor dogs, therefore we assumed the same would be true for cats. However, a recent survey found that 35% of all cats testing positive for infection actually lived inside all or most of the time! Outdoor cats have more exposure, but evidently develop resistance to repeated mosquito bites.

Should I have my cat tested?

Because of the low heartworm numbers found in cats, testing is less reliable than in dogs. Also, unlike dogs, cats can be started on preventive without any risk of potential reactions from heartworms. therefore, we feel testing is not necessary unless your cat is showing clinical signs.

Can feline heartworm disease be prevented?

You don’t have to feel helpless against feline heartworm disease anymore. There are several products available that are 100% effective in protecting cats from this deadly condition.

► Feline Revolution is a topical gel that is applied directly on the skin between the shoulder blades. It protects against heartworms, many intestinal parasites and fleas for 30 days, and is an excellent choice for most cats. Many of our clients elect to receive convenient monthly email reminders from our hospital.

► Feline Heartgard is a chewable, tasty, moist tablet that many cats take easily. The tablet is given once a month during the mosquito season.

Feline Heartworm Disease A disease in

which prevention is not only the best option,

IT’S THE ONLY OPTION!

Feline Heartworm Disease