The seasons are changing, and along with warmer weather comes mosquitoes, which means your cat’s risk of getting heartworm disease increases. Did you know that heartworm disease doesn’t just affect dogs? Unfortunately, cats can get heartworms too, and all they need to spread to your cat is a bite from an infected mosquito so even cats that never go outside are at risk. (According to the American Heartworm Society, 1 in 4 cases of heartworm disease occurs in indoor cats!)
Some common symptoms are coughing, difficulty breathing, intermittent vomiting, and weight loss, but some cats may seem to show no symptoms at all. According to the ASPCA, heartworms are a primary cause of the lung disease HARD, and if left untreated, they can cause many health problems including sudden death.
Because there is no known cure for heartworm disease in cats, the best way to protect them is through prevention. At Cat Care Professionals, we recommend using Revolution which protects cats from fleas, heartworms, roundworms, hookworms, and ear mites! It’s a topical medication that is applied every 3-4 weeks, and our veterinarians consider it to be the safest and most effective product on the market. It can be purchased from us at our clinic here in Lake Oswego or at an online pharmacy.
To find out your cat’s risk of heartworm disease and other parasites, click here for a map of parasite prevalence in your area.