Heartworm infection occurs when a mosquito carrying infective heartworm larvae bites into a cat for a blood meal. It is crucial to give your cat heartworm prevention medication every month to prevent the spread of the disease if such a mosquito bite occurs, because heartworm infection is fatal for cats. Currently there is no approved heartworm treatment for cats, making prevention the only treatment. Symptoms of heartworm disease in cats may include:

• Mild to severe coughing
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss despite regular eating habits
• Fatigue
• Loss of breath (gasping for air)

As a cat owner, providing quality pet care to your cat is a top priority, so if your cat has any of these symptoms, you should visit your veterinarian. Your veterinarian can perform a blood test to determine if your cat has heartworm disease.

Help prevent your cat from developing heartworm disease by following these three easy steps:

Heartworm prevention treatment must be given monthly. You cannot predict when or where your cat will be exposed to heartworm-carrying mosquitoes, so do not skip a month.

The American Heartworm Society reports that pets are diagnosed with heartworms in all 50 states throughout the year (even in winter).

Revolution for cats is a monthly preventative that protects against heartworms and controls adult roundworms and adult hookworms. Revolution requires a prescription from your veterinarian.

Regularly scheduled heartworm exams are necessary to make sure your cat has not contracted heartworm disease, even with prevention.