Heartworm In Cats Symptoms

The cat is an atypical host for heartworms and most worms in cats do not survive to the adult stage.

Heartworm in cats symptoms. The medical term for this condition is known as heartworm associated respiratory disease hard. There is no approved adulticide therapy a treatment that kills adult heartworms in the body for cats. Heartworm in cats is a scary disease that easily can hit close to home. If you think cats are safe from heartworm disease think again.

Physical examinations alone are not highly effective in detecting heartworms in cats. Signs of heartworms in cats range from no symptoms at all to sudden collapse or death. Heartworm disease is an infectious disease caused by the parasite dirofilaria immitis that can occur in dogs and cats but is less common in cats an infected mosquito that bites your cat can transmit dirofilaria immitis below we will give you information about heartworm symptoms as well as information about the diagnosis treatment and prevention of heartworm disease. Diagnosing heartworm disease in cats.

The cat is an atypical host for heartworms and most worms in cats do not survive to the adult stage. Heartworm disease has been diagnosed in all 50 states in the united states. Unlike their canine counterparts cats aren t typical hosts for heartworms and while most worms in infected cats don t reach the adult stage immature worms can still cause a condition known as hard heartworm associated respiratory disease. Heartworm disease in cats is very different from heartworm disease in dogs.

By nomi berger. In the initial stage of feline heartworm disease the symptoms are very similar to asthma or bronchitis. Heartworm treatment for cats is currently very limited. Instead your veterinarian can perform a variety of tests to rule out other conditions and determine if heartworm disease is the cause of your cat s symptoms.

Heartworm disease in cats is very different from heartworm disease in dogs. A heartworm infection can be difficult to diagnose in cats as the lifecycle of heartworms in cats is shorter than in dogs and the testing markers are not always present. Cats with heartworm disease may have very nonspecific symptoms that mimic many other cat diseases. Your vet may want to take screening blood tests as well as doing imaging to get as much information as possible.

These nonspecific symptoms include vomiting decreased activity and appetite and weight loss. Cats with adult heartworms typically have just one to three worms and many cats affected by heartworms have no adult worms. Cats without heartworm symptoms may be able to clear the infection without medical therapy. There is no specific test for the disease in cats.