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Old May 17th 07, 06:23 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.health+behav
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Default Do People Love Their Dogs More Than Their Cats???


It's raining and I thought i would post this for everyone.. as a heads
up!
I honestly didn't know how deadly a single mosquito bite could be, or
the horrible death it could lead to in a kitten or a cat
I thought it ONLY was a threat to my dog. Someone asked, Do you think
we love our dogs more than our cats? I said, No, i love my pets
equally! I think It's just that dogs and cats are different is all.
Gee, my kitten slept on my rotties head and even let the big bruiser
carry him around by the scruff of his neck, little dude did! They were
the best of buddies!! Now I keep looking at this map on
knowheartworms.org and they've updated it. I've read up on heartworms
through catwellness.org but just a little too late and then again for
the future, Not.
Funny, I watched a program on the news yesterday about how to take
care of our pets in the summer months. But they didn't even make
mention of mosquitoes. I'd wondered if anyone here knew about this, or
might be interested or care.
So Do you Love your fur-balls as much as your dogs? Or even if you
don't have a pet, probably know someone who does. Well, i think it's
worth sharing. I am sorry if my post is long but maybe it will benefit
someone else hopefully.

Harley Jones (also affectionately called "Baby Girl" was a loving and
shy indoor cat. She was born on May 1, 2005, under a porch in
Columbia, S.C. Ashley Jones and her husband Jared brought her home to
join their family, which included their five-year-old cat Dempsey, and
three-year-old dog Bear.

The Joneses treated Harley and their other cat for fleas, and
protected Bear from both fleas and heartworms. Unfortunately, they
would learn the hard way that, without heartworm prevention, the
disease could affect their felines as well.

One afternoon in October, shortly after Harley's first birthday,
Ashley came home for lunch and found Harley lying on the floor of the
kitchen, not breathing or moving. Earlier that morning, she had been
hopping up on her lap, eating and acting normal. Ashley was shocked
and upset to see her lying there. Hastily, she called the Columbia Cat
Clinic and drove Harley straight there.
Dr. Leigh Sheridan met them quickly in the examination room, gave
Harley a thorough exam and reported that she had died. Due to the
sudden nature of the death, Dr. Sheridan suspected heartworms, but
ordered a necropsy to be sure. The results confirmed her suspicions:
Harley died of complications from feline heartworms.
According to the American Association of Feline Practitioners
heartworm disease is contracted through a mosquito bite and causes
significant lung disease in cats. Many cats infected with heartworms
do not exhibit any signs and very tragically, the first sign of the
disease is that the cat suddenly dies. It is a very serious disease,
but very preventable.
"My husband and I felt helpless, and wished there was something we
could have done to prevent [Harley's death]," Ashley said. "We now
protect our other cat against heartworms and are proud to raise
awareness so that other cat lovers do not have to experience such a
tragic event."