April is National Heartworm Awareness Month

Feline heartworm infection is a Deadly Disease

Signs of heartworm disease in cats can be very subtle or very dramatic.

Symptoms may include:

• Coughing

• Asthma-like attacks

• Periodic Vomiting

• Lack of Appetite

• Weight Loss

• Occasionally an affected cat may have difficulty walking, experience fainting or seizures, or suffer from fluid accumulation in the abdomen.

What is Heartworm?  Heartworms are parasites that are transmitted via mosquitoes. When an infected mosquito bites the cat it deposits heartworm larvae in the skin, within six months heartworms can reach the heart and lungs causing Heartworm disease.  Heartworm disease exists in all 50 states.

Indoor cats are at risk as well as outdoor cats, because mosquitoes can get indoors, and cats get outdoors. In fact, of the cats testing positive for heartworm infection 55% lived “strictly or mostly indoors”.(1)

Heartworm disease is diagnosed by obtaining a blood  sample from the cat. If the cat tests negative, then the cat is placed on  heartworm preventative. Unfortunately, if they test positive, there is no treatment for cats.

Heartworm disease is 100% preventable by giving your cat heartworm preventative. There are several types of preventatives:

Heartgard is a chewable once a month preventative. That you give your cat orally.

Revolution Plus is a topical preventative that is applied once a month to the cat in prevention of heartworm disease. It will also protect your cat against fleas, ticks, ear mites, roundworms, and hookworms.

Bravecto Plus for cats is a topical TWO MONTH preventative that is also applied to the back of the neck. This product offers protection from fleas, ticks, and heartworms. It also treats roundworms and hookworms.