Learning More About Heartworms in Cats with Central Providence Veterinary Hospital
How do cats get heartworms?
Cats get heartworms by being bitten by a mosquito.
What are the symptoms of heartworms in cats?
In cats, typically, we see them for coughing. That is by far the most common symptom. Sometimes it can be vomiting or weight loss or other vague symptoms, but typically it is coughing.
How is heartworm disease diagnosed in cats?
In cats, it's a little bit tougher than our canine friends. With cats, it's sort of a combination between exam findings, history, x-rays, and a blood test looking for proof of the heartworm antigen and antibody.
Can heartworms be treated in cats?
You can't treat heartworms as we do in dogs, where you're killing the heartworms themselves. We tend to treat the symptoms in cats. Inflammatory lung disease or asthma is typically what they get from heartworms. So, we will treat the symptoms and then give them medication to prevent them from getting further heartworms.
What are the long-term effects of heartworms in cats?
With cats, they typically have an allergic asthma-type reaction. We tend to see long-term coughing and inflammatory airway disease. They typically don't get the same cardiac effects that dogs do, but if you had enough heartworms, they could potentially get heart disease as well.
How can I prevent my cat from getting heartworms? And is heartworm prevention safe for cats?
We can give them a monthly preventative. It's typically a topical treatment that prevents heartworms for that month. Indoor kitties are not protected from heartworms because mosquitoes can fly in and bite us, so they can fly in and bite your cat. I do recommend treating indoor cats as well. Here in North Carolina, I would keep them on heartworm prevention year-round.
How often should my cat be tested for heartworms?
In cats, we don't typically test for heartworms. If we are suspicious that they have a disease secondary to heartworms, then we will start testing. Unlike dogs, which we test automatically every year, cats are only tested if we're suspicious that they have heartworm disease.
What should I do if I suspect my cat has heartworms?
If you suspect your cat has heartworms, typically, I would assume it's because they're coughing. We would generally want to see them, do an exam, and do a normal workup like we would for coughing, which would be x-rays, potentially a heartworm test, and other diagnostics.
Can heartworms be transmitted from cats to humans?
No. Humans can sometimes get heartworms by being bitten by a mosquito, but you would not get it directly from a cat that was heartworm positive.
What is the difference between heartworms in cats and heartworms in dogs?
With dogs, it causes more cardiac-related disease. In cats, it's more of a lung disease or pulmonary disease. In dogs, we treat the worms; in cats, we treat the symptoms of the disease. Usually, cats get a much lower number of heartworms, so they're harder to detect.
What are the side effects of heartworm medications for cats?
Typically, they're handled very well. Unless they have a topical reaction to the medication on their skin, that's typically the only symptom we'll see. Again, they're generally very well tolerated.
What health complications can heartworms in cats cause or worsen?
Typically, it causes asthma-like symptoms or breathing changes. We just tend to see coughing kitties with respiratory issues.
What should I do if my cat misses a dose of heartworm prevention?
I would just get them back on track. We don't test them typically, so we wouldn't want to test them anymore. As soon as you realize they've missed a dose, go ahead and get them back on their once-monthly preventative.
How is heartworm disease monitored and managed in cats?
If we know a cat has heartworm disease, typically, I might want to see them as usual for an exam once a year, maybe every six months, depending on how severely they're affected. We probably will get chest x-rays once or twice a year as well.
Any questions at all about cats and heartworm disease, please feel free to reach out to us at Central Providence Veterinary Hospital at (704) 318-2228, or you can email us at [email protected]. Our staff would love to talk with you!