Do indoor cats need preventatives

Heartworm Prevention for Cats: What You Need to Know

We all want our beloved cats to live healthy, vibrant lives. That's why it's crucial to be aware of the lurking danger of heartworm disease. In this comprehensive guide, Ill explain the ins and outs of heartworm in cats, from its causes and transmission to prevention and treatment strategies.

Arm yourself with the knowledge and tools to safeguard your feline companion's well-being and ensure a heartworm-free life.

What is Heartworm in Cats?

Heartworm in cats refers to an infestation of long hair-like worms that can multiply and block a cat's heart and pulmonary arteries. This can lead to severe health issues and even death. Unlike in dogs, there is no FDA-approved treatment for heartworm disease in cats, making prevention crucial.

What Causes Heartworm Disease in Cats?

Heartworm disease in cats is caused by the transmission of heartworm larvae through the bite of an infected mosquito. When a mosquito carrying these larvae bites a cat, the larvae are introduced into the cat's bloodstream, where they migrate and develop into adult worms. This can lead to damage to the cat's heart and lungs. It's crucial to be aware that even indoor cats can be at risk as mosquitoes can enter the home and transmit the disease.

Related reading: How Are Cat Diseases Transmitted?

Signs & Symptoms of Heartworm in Cats

Cats often have no visible symptoms of heartworm disease, making it difficult to identify in the early stages. Some cats with heartworm disease may initially have very subtle signs, which gradually worsen over time. Common signs of heartworm in cats include:

• Asthma-like attacks
• Coughing
• Lack of appetite
• Weight loss
• Vomiting
• Difficulty walking
• Seizures or fainting
• Fluid accumulation in the abdomen.
• Unfortunately, affected cats will often act normally until they suddenly collapse or pass away.

If you notice any of these heartworm symptoms in your cat, promptly schedule a visit with your veterinarian. Your veterinarian will perform a thorough wellness exam and obtain a full medical history.

Testing for Heartworm in Cats

The American Heartworm Society recommends that cats be tested for heartworms once per year. This test can be done through a simple blood test your veterinarian will perform. Since cats with access to the outdoors have greater potential exposure to mosquito bites, this is especially important for them, but please remember that mosquitoes can and do enter homes, so no cat should be considered completely safe from heartworm disease.

Even cats on preventative medications must still be routinely tested for heartworm, as no medication is 100% effective in preventing heartworm in cats. To test for heartworm disease, your veterinary doctor must only draw a small blood sample.

Treatment for Heartworm in Cats

Cat heartworm prevention is essential, as no drug is approved to treat this condition in cats. The medication used to treat canine heartworm disease is extremely toxic to cats, causing serious and often fatal side effects.

Therefore, once a cat has heartworm disease, the only treatment option is surgical removal of the worms. This is a specialty surgery that carries serious risks, so it is uncommonly performed. It is much more likely that your veterinarian will suggest a long-term management plan to help make your cat as comfortable as possible.

How to Prevent Heartworm in Cats

Preventing heartworm disease in cats is achieved by using monthly preventatives. Cats (both indoor and outdoor) should be on monthly medications that your veterinarian can prescribe.

Medications to prevent heartworm in cats come in topical gels or chewable tablets that must be administered monthly. Unlike in dogs, there is not yet an FDA-approved heartworm prevention shot for cats.

During your pet's wellness exam, your veterinarian will discuss the best heartworm prevention methods for your cat's needs and the proper medication administration. Medications must be given properly and on time to achieve the most benefit. Heartworm prevention medications are not available over-the-counter.

Speak with BetterVet About Heartworm Prevention for Your Cat

Cat heartworm is often misunderstood by pet owners, who believe this condition only affects dogs. However, all cats should be protected against heartworm with preventative medication and annual blood testing for heartworm. Even if your cat is exclusively an indoor cat, protecting them from this catastrophic disease is vital.

Ready to get your cat started on preventative heartworm medication? Book an appointment to discuss a treatment plan to keep your furry friend happy and healthy. BetterVet offers convenient in-home visits, where a trusted BetterVet veterinarian will visit your home - no stressful cat carriers or car rides required!

Your veterinarian will ensure that your pet is up-to-date with all necessary vaccinations and perform routine blood work where your feline is happiest and most relaxed - your home and partner with you to help keep them healthy for years.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can an indoor cat get heartworm?

Heartworm disease is still a real concern for indoor cats. Indoor cats living in apartments may roam onto a deck or balcony at times, where they may be susceptible to mosquito bites. During the summer months especially, mosquitos can also enter the home and put indoor cats at risk for heartworm.

How do cats get heartworms even if they're not ideal hosts?

Cats are not natural heartworm hosts, making them less susceptible to heartworm infections than dogs. This is because heartworms cannot thrive as well inside a cat's body. When larvae enter a cat, they often die before they become full-grown adult heartworms.

Although not typical, it is still possible for heartworms to develop in a cat's body, leading to disastrous consequences. Since all cats with heartworm disease eventually pass away, they should be protected appropriately using preventative medications.

When should my cat start heartworm prevention medication?

Kittens are at the same risk of heartworm as adult cats. As such, it's recommended that kittens begin heartworm prevention medication around two months of age. Your kitten's veterinarian will determine a safe and appropriate dose of heartworm prevention medication based on their body weight.

As your kitten grows, the medication dosage must be adjusted accordingly. Never use dog heartworm, flea, or tick preventives on cats, as this can be extremely dangerous and life-threatening. A single drop of certain canine topical medications can be fatal to a cat.

5 Ways Indoor Cats Can Get Fleas

Keeping cats indoors protects them from getting lost, getting into scuffles with other animals, and exposure to other harmful issues. But even if youre keeping your cat indoors, its important to not skip flea and tick prevention.

Fleas are tiny but powerful. They use their strong back legs to jump onto petsand humansas they walk by. Fleas also multiply rapidly; when feeding on a host animal, a single flea can lay up to 50 eggs a day. Unfortunately, this can happen inside your home, not just outdoors. Indoor cats can get fleas in more ways than you may think.

Additional Pets in the Home

The most common way for fleas to enter your household is on the family dog or another pet that comes inside from being outdoors. Cats can also get fleas from neighbor pets and local wildlife, such as birds, rabbits, guinea pigs, racoons, possums, squirrels, and skunks.

Even if a dog is on a monthly flea preventive, some do not repel fleas, meaning the dog can still be home to live fleas and flea eggs. Flea preventives take a bit of time before they start killing parasites, so fleas can enter your house, jump off the dog, and hop onto your cat before feeling the effects of the flea medicine.

What you can do:

• Year-round flea prevention is recommended for all cats and dogs in your home, whether they go indoors or not. While that recommendation is year-round, the spring and summer months, when the weather is warmer, are the most important time of year for preventing fleas.

• Check your cat regularly for fleas and other insects/parasites.

• Check whether dogs visiting your home are up to date on their flea prevention.

Humans in the Home

Fleas can hang onto people and their clothing or shoesand then ride them right into your home. While fleas do not have wings, they can jump huge distances, so its easy for them to hop onto people.

What you can do:

• Clean up after house guests visitincluding washing floors, sheets, bathrooms, couches, towels, and upholstery.

• If you suspect your cat may have been exposed to a flea-bearing guest, do a quick examination. Fleas usually camp out behind a cats head, along the back by the tail base, and on the underbelly.

• Even if you dont see fleas, you might find flea dirt (black flecks) that are the fleas fecal matter. If you see flea dirt, it means fleas are infecting your cat and, in turn, you likely have fleas in your home.

Rodents

Fleas arent just attracted to dogs and cats; they also live and feed on many other mammals. If your house has a mouse or rat problem, they may bring fleas in too. Those fleas jump off the rodents, onto your cat, and into your home.

What you can do:

• Keep your floors and countertops clean and free of food scraps or crumbs so as not to attract rodents.

• Use humane traps, metal screens over plumbing and ventilation pipes, and tight seals on your screens, windows, and doors to keep rodents from entering your home.

Other Places Cats Visit

Cats can pick up fleas at catteries, shelters/rescues, a vets office, a groomers, a boarding facilityany place where dogs, cats, and other animals congregate.

What you can do:

• It is extremely important that all cats are on veterinarian-approved and prescribed flea and tick prevention year-round.

• If your cat has a medical history, discuss with your veterinarian which prevention would be best for their specific needs. Reading all labels on flea prevention is very important to make sure you use the product correctly.

• Never use prevention formulated for a dog on your cat, and never use a prevention on your cat that is not the correct dose for their body weight. If you are unsure of your cats weight, the vets office can do a weigh-in.

New Home

The excitement of moving into a new home may overshadow thoughts about what parasites might already be there. This is particularly true in condominium and apartment complexes. Homes with carpets and central heating provide perfect conditions for year-round development of fleas. The highest number of flea eggs, larvae, and pupae are in areas where pets spend the most time, such as on beds and furniture.

Even though fleas may be in your house, it is not likely that they will be visible. The eggs are tiny white specks the size of dust particles, while the larvae, which are somewhat larger, with dark heads and lighter bodies, migrate deep down in carpets, furniture, or cracks in floors, away from the light.

What you can do:

These preventions require a prescription from your veterinarian, who can also help you determine the best flea and tick preventative medication for your cat depending on their lifestyle, age, and weight.

Fleas can be a big problem for cats, even for those who stay indoors. Some cats can have an allergic reaction to fleas on top of the itching and discomfort. Fleas can especially pose an immediate danger to kittens, as an infestation can cause anemia.

Fleas can also transmit parasites, such as tapeworms and Bartonellosis, or cat scratch disease, to humans. Checking for fleas and taking measures to prevent them are important habits to help ensure the health of your cat and your family.

Featured Image: iStock.com/cunfek

Do Indoor Cats Need Flea Treatment? Vet-Approved Facts, FAQ & Tips

The information is current and up-to-date in accordance with the latest veterinarian research.

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There are a great number of benefits to keeping cats indoors, especially with all the dangers they could face when out and about. However, believe it or not, house cats can still get fleas, so they still need to be treated with flea preventatives on a year-round basis.

In this post, well explain how indoor cats get fleas and why flea and tick preventatives are important for all cats.

How Do Indoor Cats Get Fleas?

Not going outdoors isnt enough to keep indoor cats safe from fleas, as these can be brought into your home in a variety of ways. Lets take a closer look at how these pests can get onto your cat even if they dont go outside.

1. Other Pets

If you also have a dog, its possible for them to bring fleas into your house, which can then affect your other pets. Even if the dog is given flea preventatives, it can take some time for products to actually kill the fleas, meaning dogs can still carry live fleas and their eggs, and these can hop onto your unprotected cat or the eggs can drop off in your home. This is why treating all your cats and dogs with flea preventatives is essential.

2. People

People can also transmit fleas to their cats by visiting a house with a flea infestation. So, lets say a friend or family members cat or dog has fleas, and they pop over to visit you. They could be bringing fleas or flea eggs on their clothes right into your home. The same goes for if you visit them. Fleas could come back with you.

3. Second-Hand Fabrics

While second-hand shopping is a great way to save money and help the environment, previously owned items, too, can be vehicles for fleas. For this reason, its wise to thoroughly disinfect and wash any second-hand clothes, blankets, or other items youve bought in case they come from a home with a flea infestation.

4. Pet Establishments

If your indoor cat or another pet has spent time in a cattery, boarding facility, or shelter, they could pick up fleas and bring them home. Visits to the vet also put non-protected cats at risk of fleas.

5. Mice and Rats

Mice and rats can also carry fleas, so if you have some unwelcome guests scuttling around, your indoor cat could easily end up infested with fleas, too. Proper cleaning routines are key to keeping mice and rats at bay, especially in the kitchen. Its also crucial to check that your garbage cans are well-covered and that you close up any holes in your walls.

On that note, please dont use cruel traps like snap traps or glue traps to capture mice and rats. Instead, stick to humane traps, like catch-and-release traps that dont kill or harm the animal.

6. Moving House

Flea infestations could be present in your new home when you move, and the chances are increased if the home is carpeted. Central heating is another factor. Fleas thrive in warm areas. Even if you cant see the fleas, there could still be eggs, larvae and pupae hidden away. In fact, adult fleas only comprise around 5% of a flea infestation, with the rest consisting of these other stages of the flea life cycle which live in the home and are invisible to the naked eye (or very hard to see in the case of eggs).

Can Cats Get Fleas in Winter?

Contrary to the common misconception that fleas arent a risk in colder periods, cats can most certainly get fleas in winter because fleas can live indoors. The warm indoor environment protects them from the cold, and the central heating can make matters worse. For this reason, cats should be given flea preventatives year-round, not just in the warmer months.

Signs of Fleas

Fleas and eggs can be hard to spot at first glance, so youll need to exercise due vigilance. A flea comb can help you get a better look at the coat and skin. Apart from witnessing the fleas scuttling on your cats coat, here are some signs to watch out for:

• Scratching
• Biting the skin
• Restlessness
• Overgrooming
• Small red bites (including on you)
• Black dirt (flea feces)

If you suspect your cat has fleas, contact your veterinary clinic. Your vet will recommend the right medication for your cat; these come in various forms including tablet form and spot-on form (applied to the back of the neck). Its best to get your vets input on this because cats needs sometimes differ in terms of medication depending on their age, size, and health status.

For homes with a flea infestation, you can purchase sprays designed to kill fleas and flea eggs to helpjust make sure theyre not harmful to your cat and are used as instructed. Pest control operators can do this if you dont feel comfortable doing it yourself.

Unfortunately, these sprays arent a cure-all. Youll need to clean thoroughly and regularly with a special focus on washing all bedding in hot water and vacuuming carpets, skirting boards, and any hard-to-reach nooks and crannies. Steam cleaning can help with upholstery and carpets. It may take a while to completely eradicate these pests from your home.

• Never use flea treatments for dogs or cats (and vice versa). This could have toxic results.
• Make sure the flea preventatives youre using are suitable for your cats weight. Your vet can offer advice if youre unsure.
• Create a schedule for applying your cats flea preventatives and stick to it.

Final Thoughts

In a nutshell, whether theyre indoor dwellers or spend time outdoors, all cats need to be treated with flea preventatives suitable for their weight range on schedule to prevent the risk of an infestation. If you need to know more about fleas and treating your cat properly, please consult your veterinarian for advice.

Featured Image Credit: goodluz, Shutterstock