Should my indoor cats be treated for heartworm?

I am a vet tech here in NC. Cats CAN definitely get heartworms. The bad thing about cats is that there is no treatment for it if they can get like there is for dogs.

Any cat (indoor or outdoor) can get heartworms. It is transmitted by mosquitoes which can come indoors. For you to purchase prevention from a vet clinic you must have them to do a physical exam first (State law).

I don't advise you to EVER purchase anything prescription online or over seas. It may look and say it is the same product but a lot of the times it is not. We have had many problems with this.

Also it is not guaranteed. Most vets don't have a problems with price matching. You just have to bring an updated paper in each time.

I recommend Revolution if you don't mind topicals because it does ear mites and fleas (a common problem we see in cats/dogs year round here) or heartgard/interceptor which is a monthly pill. Most cats will eat these on their own or if you put them is some tuna, etc. Please remember, we you look at post/websites online that you keep in mind that anyone can post something on the internet even with incorrect information. We have seen many problems with things from this....even fatal things.

Please consult your veterinarian with any questions instead of the internet. Thanks!

1 Heartworm is a result of the mosquito. You have mosquitos there. That should answer the question.

But find a good vet and talk to him/her.

2 I am in NC too... I would bet we have quite a few more mosquitoes here than Massachusetts. Your cats aren't at great risk of heartworms since they are indoor-only pets... but you never know when a mosquito will get in or the cat will get out. Honestly, I never knew cats could even get heartworms until I switched vets a few years ago... they have the heartworm prevention on display and I was surprised to see one with a cat on it.My vet doesn't think we really need to since she is indoor-only... but it is better to be safe than sorry I suppose.

3 It is probably a good idea to find a vet anyway since you are new to the area. To be honest, I live in Texas, a heartworm hot spot, and have never treated any of my cats for heartworm, nor have any of them contracted it. I had outdoor cats at one time, and some of my current indoor cats used to be someone else's outdoor cat, but we have never had heartworm problems.

I do treat the dogs, however, because for some reason they seem to attract more mosquitos. Two of our dogs came to us with heartworm already, but none of the others have ever tested positive. I believe you can buy heartworm treatment from various online stores, but it will be important to know the weight of the animal and to be sure it is marketed for cats specifically.

I suggest you see a vet, find out what the vet suggests in terms of treatment and dosage, and *then* find an online source that will sell it less expensively than the vet can. "Prevention of heartworm disease is simple. "Preventatives" kill microscopic larvae that are left behind by mosquitoes when they bite a cat.In most cases, a once-monthly pill (Interceptor® brand of milbemycin for cats and Heartgard® brand of ivermectin for cats) is used to effectively prevent heartworms from taking hold in your cat.

A recently available preventative for heartworms, Revolution® brand of selamectin, is applied to the skin once monthly. Revolution can also control fleas and other parasites. Interceptor for Cats®, Heartgard for Cats® and Revolution® also help to prevent intestinal parasites...If dogs in the area receive heartworm prevention, it is likely that cats also may benefit from this protection.

Heartgard for cats® and Revolution for cats® are both safe and effective products for cats only. Do NOT use your canine heartworm medicine in your cat! The drug dosing is very different between species... Speak to your veterinarian about the need for preventative therapy, administration guidelines and when to start and stop prevention treatments.

Some recommend that before beginning heartworm prevention, any cat over 7 months of age should first have a heartworm blood test. "http://www.petplace.com/cats/heartworm-prevention-guidelines-for-cats/page1.aspx .

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.