Feline Heartworm

[bhsup]

Long story short, a stray endeared itself to me this morning and my family has grown by one. My vet being the wonderful vet that she is was willing to squeeze me in on no notice this afternoon for a physical exam, all the shots, etc.

Sadly, it turns out Helga (it's a female and I already have a cat named Otto, so w00t Helga!) has heartworms. I have never had an experience with this before, so I don't know what to expect and would really appreciate any input from someone who has had to deal with a cat with heartworms before. Don't get me wrong, my vet sat down with me for awhile and explained what is going on and what I need to do and so forth, but I'd really like to hear from folks who have dealt with this before.

Thanks,
V

 

[Berzerker]

we're taking our dog in real soon so I'll ask our vet, cant say we ever had a cat with heartworm but wouldn't surprise me if we did and never got clued in. Sorry

 

[_random_]

Sadly, it turns out Helga (it's a female and I already have a cat named Otto, so w00t Helga!)

You should name it Gretchin. That way, you could open up a resort for cats and call it "The Grotto."

 

[Cutlass]

Sorry to hear it. I don't know what to do, but I feel your pain.

 

[emzie]

Not to be a downer, but it can be quite serious. Heart worms generally use dogs, with infection rates amongst cats a fraction of the canine population. They're adapted to living in larger animals, who have larger hearts and larger pulmonary arteries. As such, when the adult worms are killed / die, they're a lot more likely to get stuck places, causing all sorts of problems like pulmonary embolisms.

I dissected a cat once with heart worms. It's a rather ugly sight, like spaghetti.

 

[bhsup]

Not to be a downer, but it can be quite serious. Heart worms generally use dogs, with infection rates amongst cats a fraction of the canine population. They're adapted to living in larger animals, who have larger hearts and larger pulmonary arteries. As such, when the adult worms are killed / die, they're a lot more likely to get stuck places, causing all sorts of problems like pulmonary embolisms.

I dissected a cat once with heart worms. It's a rather ugly sight, like spaghetti.

That's kind of what my vet said too. But she said it's not an automatic death sentence, and considering it is a stray, there is no way to know how long she's had them. It may be near the end of their course and she may be close to okay. Or....she got them recently and it's gonna be 2-3 years before they've run their course.

Regardless I guess, at least Helga will have love and warmth for her remaining time if the worms do kill her.

 

[Silurian]

They maybe why she is a stray.

Someone did not want to look after her.

 

[SuperJay]

Definitely not a death sentence. Growing up, one of our cats had heartworms and lived for many years after we found it out. I was just a kid at the time so I don't know what treatment or meds the cat got, but she ended up passing away years later of old age, I think. Good luck to Helga, and kudos to you for taking her in.

 

[Darth Caesar]

Not to be a downer, but it can be quite serious. Heart worms generally use dogs, with infection rates amongst cats a fraction of the canine population. They're adapted to living in larger animals, who have larger hearts and larger pulmonary arteries. As such, when the adult worms are killed / die, they're a lot more likely to get stuck places, causing all sorts of problems like pulmonary embolisms.

I dissected a cat once with heart worms. It's a rather ugly sight, like spaghetti.

 

[bhsup]

Update: Helga is in 'kitty ICU' with a not so good prognosis for survival. Last night she seemed okay as well as this morning. Today (thank God it was my day off or I'd have found her dead tonight) I walked in from some yard work and found her on the bathroom floor lying on her side gasping for air, and her front paws and jaw wet.

I rushed her to my vet and wasn't sure she was gonna make it there, but she did. The vet said her lungs were filling with fluid and that accounted for her wet paws and jaw...spitting up fluid. Anyway, she explained that it was almost assuredly, considering the rapid onset of symptoms, related to the heartworms. A bloodclot broke away and lodged in the lungs, or something like that, causing fluid buildup. Her gums were pale and her temp was low.

I was given two options. Put her down, or aggressive oxygen treatment and an injection to deal with the fluid and an injection of steroids for something else that I honestly don't remember now. Chances slim that Helga will pull through, but a slim chance is better than none. Anyway, she's in a funky sealed little cage for a pure (or near pure I guess) oxygen atmosphere and after an hour she started stirring and responding to me. Vet is keeping her overnight, but still guarded about her chances. Vet did say, though, that if Helga makes it through the night, she should make it okay.

Anyhoo.... just a friendly urging. Even though the chances of cats getting heartworms are slim compared to dogs, I would strongly urge all cat owners to get advantage multi or some other heartworm protection. Also, indoor or outdoor cat doesn't matter. Percentages are about the same for either in contracting it!

 

[MobBoss]

That's kind of what my vet said too. But she said it's not an automatic death sentence, and considering it is a stray, there is no way to know how long she's had them. It may be near the end of their course and she may be close to okay. Or....she got them recently and it's gonna be 2-3 years before they've run their course.

Regardless I guess, at least Helga will have love and warmth for her remaining time if the worms do kill her.

I think the first thing you have to ask yourself is 'how much money am I willing to spend on this cat?'

edit: bah, didnt notice the dates.

 

[bhsup]

That was a valid issue back in November. Now she's had 6 months to endear herself to me. I'd arrange financing at the bank if I had to deal with massive expenses.

 

[MobBoss]

That was a valid issue back in November. Now she's had 6 months to endear herself to me. I'd arrange financing at the bank if I had to deal with massive expenses.

After only 6 months? Your're a better man than I am then. It takes about a decade to get that level of loyalty from me for a pet.

 

[Cutlass]

Sorry to hear it

 

[bhsup]

After only 6 months? Your're a better man than I am then. It takes about a decade to get that level of loyalty from me for a pet.

Heh Normally I can ignore the strays around here. But this one...I stepped out of my car and she made a beeline for my leg and purring and begging and wouldn't leave me be. She kind of adopted me, actually.

 

[Ajidica]

Sad to hear it. The only pet I've ever had is a fish (that my sister thought was dead and so flushed it down the toilet) but a bunch of my neighbors have cats and I know how much they can mean to them.

On a lighter note, how many cats do you have (assuming Helga makes it)? If it is enough, perhaps you could meet up with Valka. Both of you like cats.

 

[bhsup]

Currently with Helga I have more cats than Valka.

 

[Maniacal]

Sorry to hear about Helga :/

Heartworms is a disturbing name.

 

[emzie]

V, just don't prolong suffering if it's inevitable.

You're an amazing person.

 

[cubsfan6506]

I second Contre's opinion, you're an amazing person.