Both cats and dogs can be infected with heartworms, a mosquito-borne disease. When mosquitoes bite an infected animal, the heartworm larvae get into the insect's system with the blood meal. The larva will then be transmitted to another animal when the mosquito bites and injects the heartworm larvae while having a blood meal.
However, for cats, heartworms can be life-threatening. The presence of heartworm in cats has serious consequences. Cats sometimes appear asymptomatic so their humans are not aware that their pet is already sick. Some cats may die immediately due to complications in their respiratory system without showing distinct symptoms.
Unfortunately, the symptoms of heartworm are quite similar to a variety of health problems. Thus, if your cat has heartworm, the disease might not be diagnosed accurately without laboratory tests. Just the presence of a few heartworm larvae is enough to make your cat sick.
So keep your cat healthy at all times. Follow a preventive program provided by your veterinarian Gresham OR, the Wildwood Animal Hospital. And most importantly, keep her indoors and away from mosquitoes.
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