Feline Heartworm Disease
January 9, 2010

Let’s face it - we know that the actual compliance with heartworm preventative use in dogs is probably close to 50%. And this is for a disease that is well-known to the public and can be deadly. So moving the needle on feline heartworm awareness is an uphill battle. Feline heartworm disease is unpredictable. It’s complicated. It is difficult to diagnose. Antigen tests, antibody tests, and radiography can all be inconclusive depending on the stage of infection. In fact an estimated 28% of infected cats have no overt clinical signs.

So does it surprise anyone that even though heartworm infection can cause severe disease and death in cats, only 5% of cats in the US receive heartworm preventives? Is there the possibility of heartworm infection throughout the country? Yes. Could all cats potentially benefit from receiving heartworm preventive medication? Yes. So it seems logical that more cats should be on preventive medication, right? If you’re not talking about this on a regular basis to your cat owners – you should be. What do you think?

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