Heartworm in cats is variously treatable. It is important to know the symptoms, causes and areas at risk and to be prudent in treatment. Although heartworm disease in cats was once confined largely to warm and wet areas, it has now spread globally.
What is Heartworm?
The dirofilaria immitis is a roundworm parasite that travels from host to host through the blood, transferred by mosquitoes biting multiple victims. The worm itself is a filament-like, slim worm that completes its life cycle in mammals.
Heartworm in Cats
Cats are far less likely than dogs to develop heartworm. Typically they get fewer worms and the period of infection is shorter than in dogs. But cats are more likely to have heartworms migrate to other areas of the body than are dogs, causing more problematic infections and symptoms. Dying worms in the pulmonary arteries can be fatal to cats. Often, because cats rarely get heartworm, the disease is misdiagnosed as a respiratory problem.
Common Heartworm Symptoms in Cats
Heartworm symptoms, which include coughing, lack of energy, loss of appetite and weight loss, are similar to that of dogs'. But also, cats can experience shock, fainting, diarrhea and sudden death at the severe end of the infection.
Heartworm diagnosis also depends upon a test for the presence of female worm antigens. These antigens will only be indicated after minimally seven months of infection, so a cat could easily die before the test indicates positive for heartworms. An antibody test is also available, but cats will test positive up to several months after expelling all worms. X-ray and echocardiography tests are used by vets to detect adult worms in the heart.
Heartworm prevention in cats is highly problematic. Heartworm treatment, therefore, imperfectly consists of the use of a monthly heartworm drug and a short-term cortiscosteroid, the steroid produced in the adrenal cortex. Treatment for cats is imperfect at best, at present.
To date, except for the removal of standing water and isolation from possibly infected animal populations and mosquitoes, there are no "natural," herbal, biodynamic, or organic ways of dealing with heartworm infection.
Related Advice from Other Cat Owners
What to Do if Your Cat Has Worms
First, I would recommend that you take a fresh fecal sample to your vet, who will tell you exactly what kind of worms they are. My cat threw up a bunch of roundworms once, and they were treated by Drontal, which works on most kinds of parasitic worms.
If you have a multi-cat household, all of your cats must be treated, since one common route of infection is through sharing litter pans. Cats can get roundworms from the feces of other cats, through their mother's milk, or through eating infected rodents, among other routes of infection.
I strongly advise you to go to the vet so you know what kind of worm you're dealing with, and get the appropriate medicine, which should be more effective than an over-the-counter brand. When I had my cats de-wormed, they needed only one pill each, and the medication was cheap. Since my cats were born in a small cattery and have never been outside, the probable route of infection was their mother's milk.
~Valerie D., owner of Maine Coon
Capstar VS. Revolution, Frontline and Advantage for Flea Treatment
Capstar is not a flea preventive, as it only kills adult fleas. It enters the bloodstream to poison the fleas that are already on a cat and biting it. It will do nothing for eggs or pupa fleas, which means that without doing anything else, you will soon be right back to where you started. It can be given to jump start an effort to get rid of fleas, but it won't prevent re-infection.
When a vet prescribes it, it is usually given to cut down on the number of fleas in order to prevent flea-related anemia (which can happen when a cat is infested with fleas). You may chose to give Capstar to your cats, but you will have to treat the environment in conjunction with it, and it will still be tough going. Your cats may get re-infested very easily, as it only works for about 24 hours or so. Capstar will do nothing for ticks, ear mites and most parasites that a preventive covers for.
Now Revolution, Frontline and Advantage are flea preventives. They basically change the chemical signature of a pet's skin to make it more unpleasant to fleas (this is why they are given topically). You still have to treat the environment to get rid of the fleas, but you have a little bit more leeway, as it will take between 24-28 days for something like Revolution to wear off. Revolution will also provide some worm prevention and ear-mite protection. The other two also do well as worm preventives, but don't cover ear mites. They do give pets tick protection, which Revolution does not (in case you were wondering).
Hope that helps you make an informed choice.
~Annalisa C., owner of Domestic Medium Hair
Dealing with Ear Mites
Home treatment is just not that effective. Ear mites are hard to get rid of and can cause long-term damage to a cats ears. I have a rescue kitten that had such bad ear mites she will have to have treatment for ear issues for the rest of her life. The best thing I've used that my vet gives me is a product called "Revolution." It not only treats mites, but treats fleas and worms as well. It costs around $14 for a small amount you squeeze on the back of the cats neck (just like the usual flea med like Frontline).
I wouldn't recommend trying to wipe inside your cat's ears yourself because you can easily do damage to the ear by pushing the "gunk" (ear mites and their poo) down farther into the ear canal. A cats ear is fragile and it's best a vet (who knows how to properly do it) cleans out the ears.
~Shana S., owner of Domestic Long Hair
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