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MaryL wrote:
Just a reminder: This is prime mosquito season, and cats *can* get
heartworms (with deadly results). I live in East Texas, so my twosome
get
Heartgard all 12 months, whereas those in northern areas probably need it
only for certain months of the year (ask your vet). I always use it on
the
first day of the month because that makes it easy for me to remember --
and
is also the reason for this reminder. Many of you already use Heartgard,
but I frequently meet people who have never heard of it or who think that
only dogs can get heartworms. Heartworms are more common in dogs, but
they
are often even more disastrous in cats.

MaryL

The vets tell me they are seeing a marked increase in heartworm in
cats, but they're outdoor cats. I don't treat mine for heartworm, and
here's why: For instance, we have not had a single mosquito in the
house so far. If we do, it's rare and ends up buzzing around us so
they're easy to find and swat. It's not like fleas, where the indoors
can get infested.
Kind of weighing the risk that way, I think it's more detrimental to
introduce yet another foreign substance to their bodies than the risk
of heartworm itself. I used to be all gung-ho for vaccinations and
every conceivable kind of preventive available in veterinary medicine.
After having cats get very sick, I changed my thinking.

OTOH, other cats will have a much higher risk than mine do and
heartworm *is* awful, the treatment is extremely hard on the cat and
not always successful. We just don't have many mosquitos anyway...I
think it's too hot and dry for them!

Sherry


Like you, mine are indoors only -- and I also have never seen a mosquito
indoors (but that does not guarantee that there has never been one indoors).
We do have lots of mosquitos in the area, and all it would take would be one
open door. My vet also agrees that most heartworm cases are seen in outdoor
cats, but he also says that "for some reason," indoor cats fare even worse
if they do become infected. Possibly it has something to do with building
up immunity, but I opted to go with Heartgard.

MaryL