heartworm disease in cats

Sofia Blackbern · Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 9:30 am Post subject: heartworm disease in cats

I heard heartworm disease in cats is deadly...can anyone here tell me more about this thing?

Maia Shearer · Posted: Tue Apr 29, 2008 2:51 pm Post subject:

I know heartworm disease is transmitted from one animal to another by mosquitoes.

Sofia Blackbern · Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 3:46 pm Post subject:

mosquitoes, u mean? how do they infect cats?

Maia Shearer · Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 4:04 pm Post subject:

To answer your question, I did a little research:

"Heartworm infection takes place when a mosquito carrying microscopic-size heartworm larvae bites a cat. The larvae enter through the bite wound where they develop in the tissues. The immature worms then enter a blood vessel and are carried top the arteries in the lung where they cause an inflammatory reaction. Most worms die at this stage, causing even more inflammation. The worms that progress to the adult stage may live undetected for a couple of yearss. But when the adult worms die, the inflammation can be severe enough to cause death." (www.knowheartworms.org)

Regina McKee · Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 4:21 pm Post subject:

that's helpful, maia. just wanna add that my vet says heartworm disease can be deadly BUT it can be PREVENTABLE.

Amelia Bowman · Posted: Wed Apr 30, 2008 4:46 pm Post subject:

yes it's preventable. as long as you take the proper measures to keep your cat away from mosquitoes, and to have him/her checked by the vet regularly, then i'm sure you can prevent heartworm disease.

Libby Bowen · Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 2:05 pm Post subject:

prevention really is best so find out from your vet what preventive measures are best fitted for your pet.

Trish Coyne · Posted: Fri May 02, 2008 3:24 pm Post subject:

good thing you brought this topic up. are all cats susceptible to heartworm disease?

Maia Shearer · Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 1:46 pm Post subject:

All cats, indoor and outdoor, are susceptible to heartworm disease.

Melrose Clement · Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 8:04 am Post subject:

heartworms are scary! they're really gross, too. have you seen a picture of them? there's one in wikipedia. i swear it's really disgusting! ugh!
_________________

Michelle Pilver · Posted: Fri May 09, 2008 8:24 am Post subject:

yeah they can be really gross. that's why you need to protect your cats from them. i mean, you don't want those nasty creatures living inside your pets, do you?

Sofia Blackbern · Posted: Tue May 13, 2008 10:42 am Post subject:

Harvey Simmons · Posted: Wed May 14, 2008 12:52 pm Post subject:

I read somewhere that heartworm disease can even lead to congenital heart failure! Shocked

We should really be careful with these parasites. Have your cat checked regularly by your vet to avoid heartworms Exclamation

Melrose Clement · Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 8:52 am Post subject:

OMG! you mentioned spaghetti! now i'll never be able to eat spaghetti without thinking about heartworms! Laughing

_________________

Susie Lefler · Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 2:28 pm Post subject:

well, now i know not to look at a picture of heartworms before any meal. haha.

Michelle Pilver · Posted: Thu May 15, 2008 4:19 pm Post subject:

just saw the pic you were talking about melrose.. gross indeed! yuck!

i love spaghetti! please don't associate them with heartworms! Confused

Melrose Clement · Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 7:58 am Post subject:

i love spaghetti, too! but that picture of heartworms really made me sick to my stomach. ugh!

_________________

Michelle Pilver · Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 9:22 am Post subject:

i know about heartworms but i haven't had my pet tested for them. i read on another thread that heartworms are not easily detected. i didn't know this. i thought that if my pet has heartworms, i would know immediately. now i'm worried. Confused

Susie Lefler · Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 12:10 pm Post subject:

if you're worried michelle, then don't wait for your cat to display symptoms of heartworm disease. get your pet tested for it already. i'm sure that the tests would identify whether or not your pet has heartworms. have your pet tested regularly to be sure.

Maia Shearer · Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 2:26 pm Post subject:

Regina McKee · Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 2:33 pm Post subject:

quite right. my vet says it takes years before the signs show. he also mentioned that heartworms actually take months to develop inside the pet's body.

Edith Pope · Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 4:09 pm Post subject:

Yes. I know it takes 6 to 7 months for canine heartworms to mature. I just don't know how long it takes for heartworms in cats...

Michelle Pilver · Posted: Tue May 27, 2008 9:31 am Post subject:

i'm planning to get my cat tested this weekend. i don't know what to expect. i hope she doesn't have heartworms. Confused

Beatrice Dixon · Posted: Wed May 28, 2008 5:02 pm Post subject:

heard it takes heartworm development takes longer in cats. is this true Question

Isabella Valencia · Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 9:49 am Post subject:

Susie Lefler · Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 10:10 am Post subject:

Libby Bowen · Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 12:58 pm Post subject:

Trish Coyne · Posted: Mon Jun 02, 2008 4:00 pm Post subject:

are heartworms also dangerous to humans?

Regina McKee · Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 11:18 am Post subject:

i'm not sure. i think it only infects animals like dogs, cats, not humans.

Maia Shearer · Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 1:20 pm Post subject:

Yes, I have never heard of heartworms infecting people. Shocked

Don't they infect domestic dogs and cats only?

Amelia Bowman · Posted: Tue Jun 03, 2008 4:44 pm Post subject:

i did a little research... aside from domestic cats and dogs, heartworms can also infect animals in the wild such as wolves, foxes, coyotes, tigers, pumas and ferrets - they can be hosts of heartworm infection.
i got the info from the companion animal parasite council website.
if you'd like to read more, here's the link:
http://www.capcvet.org/?p=Guidelines_Heartworm&h=0&s=0

Sofia Blackbern · Posted: Fri Jun 06, 2008 2:12 pm Post subject:

thanks for the info, amelia. if all the animals you mentioned can be hosts of heartworm infection, then the greater is the risk that our pets can get the disease if we are not so careful. Confused

Trish Coyne · Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2008 9:03 am Post subject:

thanks, amelia! if our pets can also get the infection from those animals does it mean that heartworm is a year-round disease?

Megan Turnbull · Posted: Mon Jun 16, 2008 3:57 pm Post subject:

well, according to Dr. Sally's topic about heartworm in dogs here in petshed:
"In some parts of the country (particularly the north) the winter is too cold for any development or transmission of heartworm to occur, so the dog danger period is only in summer.
In other parts of the country (particularly the southern states) it is warm enough year-round, so pets are always at risk. Warm summers will accelerate larvae development."

Michelle Pilver · Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2008 9:14 am Post subject: