The Heart Of The Matter: Cats and Heartworm Awareness

Here at Cat Care of Vinings, we often talk about heartworm disease with our clients–there are so many myths out there regarding its incidence, prevalence, and prevention. It sounds complicated, but it is actually very simple.

First things first, unless your furry kitty friend lives literally without ANY possible exposure to even one mosquito, your baby is at risk. Mosquitoes carry heartworm disease and pass it from dog to cat to cat to dog and so on. The best way to protect your cat or kitten is with year-round preventative measures EVEN when indoor-only.

Heartworm disease has been diagnosed in all 50 states in cats, and risk factors are impossible to predict. The truth is that all cats are at risk, regardless of their life-style. Multiple variables, from climate variations to the presence of wildlife carriers, cause rates of infections to vary dramatically from year to year—even within communities. Nothing truly freezes or dies in the South East to end the life cycle of mosquitos and give us a well-deserved break!

Furthermore, heartworm disease in cats is NOT treatable, difficult to detect, life-threatening and very preventable. Signs of overt heartworm disease in our feline friends rarely manifests until very late; this makes a diagnosis difficult. This seems all “gloom and doom” but truly, the bottom line for cats and heartworm disease is prevention,  prevention, and more prevention!

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