How to Prevent Heartworms in Cats

Indoor and outdoor cats are susceptible to heartworms.

Although most people know that dogs can get heartworms, cats also are susceptible. The parasite is spread via the bite of a mosquito, and just one mosquito can cause disease in your feline. Unlike dogs, there is no medical treatment for feline heartworms except risky heart surgery. Even indoor cats are vulnerable when mosquitoes sneak into homes. Prevention is the best way to keep your cat safe from this potentially fatal disease.

Things You'll Need

• Heartworm preventative prescription

Instructions

1. Take your cat to your veterinarian. She will test your cat for heartworms. This is an important step. The preventative medication should not be given to a cat with an active heartworm infection.

2. 

   Your cat should be tested for heartworms before starting a prevention program.

   Dispense the preventative medication as prescribed by your veterinarian. All licensed preventatives on the market, as of 2011, are given once a month.

3. Keep your cat indoors to minimize contact with mosquitoes. If you have an outdoor cat, consider confining it to a screened porch or lanai.

Tips & Warnings

• There are two types of preventative available, a topical and an oral medication. Both kill heartworms, but the topical form also kills fleas, ear mites and some types of intestinal worms.

• If you choose the topical medication, apply it high on your cat's neck so he cannot lick it while grooming.

References

• FDA: The Facts About Heartworm Disease
• American Heartworm Society: Feline Heartworms

Resources

• University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine: List of Heartworm Preventatives