At the heart of the matter
Heartworm disease is a serious and potentially fatal disease in pets in the United States and many other parts of the world. It is caused by foot- long worms that live in the heart, lungs, and blood vessels, causing severe lung disease, heart failure and damage to other organs in the body. Heartworm disease affects dogs, cats, ferrets, but heartworms also live in other mammals including wolves, coyotes, foxes, sea lions, and rare instances humans.
Cats: Heartworm disease in cats is very different from heartworm disease in dogs. The cat is an atypical host for heartworms, and most worms in cats do not survive to the adult stage. Cats with adult heartworms typically have just 1-3 worms, and most commonly are the same sex worm. While this means heartworm disease often goes undiagnosed in cats, it's important to know that even immature worms cause real damage in the form of a condition known as heartworm associated respiratory disease. The medication used to treat heartworm infections in dogs cannot be used in cats, so prevention is the only means of protecting cats.
