Cat Heartworm Control - Before It Gets Too Late

For all cat owners, before you opt for any cat heartworm control it is important to first understand what it is, how it affects your cat and why there is so much fuss about its prevention.

Heartworm is a parasitic disease that is transmitted through mosquitoes. A mosquito bites an infected cat and passes over the microscopic larvae to another cat when it bites them. This fatal heartworm disease is common in most parts of the United States. Heartworm infection is most widespread in places that have a subtropical climate. The good news is that currently there are several cat heartworm control measures available to safeguard your pet.

What Makes It Dangerous

Foremost, this disease poses a risk to cats of any age. Cats as well as kittens, both are vulnerable. The percentage of dogs affected by heartworm disease is higher as compared to cats and the disease can prove fatal. As the name suggests, the long thin worms breed inside the blood vessels and heart of the infected cat.

Symptoms are unclear and usually surface after the heart has already been affected. Besides the heart, lungs and arteries are also damaged. Some of the symptoms may include weight loss, difficulty in breathing, fainting, vomiting and even sudden death.

Focus On Prevention

As already mentioned, it is very difficult to diagnose heartworm infection. Blood test is often advisable but even that can prove misleading at times. Therefore for cat heartworm control, prevention is the only way out. Seek the advice of your vet for cat heart control. He can give you the right guidelines for administering heart worm medication. Commonly referred to as HWP or the heart worm prevention, they are either available with your vet or you can get it from the market with your vet's prescription.

Key Things To Remember

In most cases once-a-month medication is used for cat heartworm control such as 'Heartgard for cats' and 'Interceptor for cats'. These are chewable formulations. 'Revolution' is another medication, available in liquid form, and can be applied to the skin of the cat once a month. It also works against fleas and ticks. These medications also help prevent intestinal worms.

It has to be borne in mind that the dose of the drug varies with different species. In addition, it is not advisable to administer dog's heartworm medicine to a cat. In case of kittens, it is recommended to first go for a heartworm blood test.

Some basics about cat medication also apply in the case of cat heartworm control such as the dose should be according to the age and weight of your cat. Frequency of administration, which is monthly in most cases, has to be seen to. Safety factor is also important by making sure that the cat is not sensitive to any of the ingredients in the medication. Additionally, you may decide if you prefer single medicine to treat more than one condition. Same medication may be effective on fleas and ticks too. Lastly, giving or applying medication should not be a difficult task.

With some basic precautions and timely cat heartworm control, you can give your cat a long and healthy life.