Feline Heartworms

[cprince]

My stepmom just called me with the news that her cat has been diagnosed with feline heartworms. I have no knowledge of this condition -- can anyone advise?

[purrley]

Never heard of it - anyone else heard of it????

[Logan]

I know nothing about it either! I do know that my vet has never suggested that I treat my cats with a preventative, but he does have the sign in his office that the treatment is available.

CPrince, I am so sorry to hear about your cat. Maybe as you learn more, you can share the information with the rest of us, so we can become more aware. I hope the kitty will be ok. Surely they can treat it, like they do with dogs, although I hate to think your cat will have endure these painful treatments. Good luck, and we will include your kitty in our prayers.

[Pam]

I've never heard of feline heartworms. There are lots of posters up in my vet's office about lots of diseases and I've never seen anything on this. I am thinking that an outside cat may be susceptible since it comes from a mosquito but I don't know. I would also be interested in learning more...

[4 feline house]

Cats do not fare as well as dogs. Far fewer worms can cause death in a cat than in a dog, and there is no effective, safe treatment. Some vets will use meds that kill the worms but have a very high complication rate. Some vets will just treat any symptoms and wait for the worms to die on their own. The worms themselves can cause complications, even if the cat survives.

Even strictly indoor cats can get them, although the chances are far less.

Prayers for your step-mom's kitty, cprince.

[tmckay]

My vet brought feline heartworm up about a year ago. I don't have either of my kitties on preventative because neither go outside. My vet said any cat who goes outside at all needs to be on heartworm prevention.

I didn't know it was worse in cats than in dogs until I read the post by Leah S.

[cprince]

My stepmom's vet told her that her cat was bitten by a mosquito that had bitten a dog with heartworms. The scary part about that
-- her cats are all inside cats so that means it was a mosquito that got into the house. The vet told her that he could treat the symptoms only.

Oh yeah, before I forget, I wanted to mention that my stepmom originally thought Lucky was just having a lot of hairballs and finally took him to the vet when it seemed to be excessive. So, don't overlook this symptom if it happens to your kitty.

I appreciate everyone's kind advice and good wishes. You are all the best!

[yorkster]

Cprince, Uh-oh......one of my cats has been spitting up hairballs and vomitting more than usual lately. I need to get to the vet.
I'm a worrier when it comes to my animals, so maybe I'm over reacting- I hope so.