Medication is available to prevent your cat from developing heartworm infection. The currently available medication is a once a month chewable tablet or a once a month topical treatment. While not as prevalent as in dogs, cats can and do get heartworms. Indoor as well as outdoor cats are diagnosed with heartworm infections. In fact, one species of mosquitoes that feeds on cats prefers to live indoors, so while living indoors may decrease the exposure to infectious diseases like FELV and FIV, it may not decrease the exposure to heartworms.
Prevention is easier than treatment.
Back to top of page Last update March 21, 2001. University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine. Created by Marc Salute.