HEARTWORM DISEASE in CATS

Heartworm disease primarily affects dogs, however cats can become infected as well.  With this disease, worms develop in the heart chambers and major blood vessels associated with the heart.  These worms are about the size of angel hair pasta and are transmitted by the bite of a mosquito.   This is a potentially life threatening disease that interferes with the normal blood flow from the heart and can result in congestive failure of the heart and other organs.  In cats, sometimes the only symptom is sudden death, although coughing, respiratory difficulty, and vomiting can also be signs of a heartworm infestation.  Unfortunately, to date, there is no approved treatment for heartworm disease in cats.

Northern Illinois and Southeast Wisconsin have an extremely high heartworm infection rate, and since heartworm disease is an untreatable disease in cats, any cat exposed to mosquitoes should be placed on heartworm prevention medication during the mosquito season.  Recent studies show that at least 30% of cats diagnosed with heartworm infection do not ever go outside.  This means that mosquitoes are getting in our houses and infecting our cats at a much higher rate than we once thought.  Because of this, Camp McDonald Animal Hospital recommends that all cats living in the area should be placed on heartworm preventative. 

There are two different types of heartworm prevention medications we can prescribe for your cat which are extremely safe and effective: