My cat was bitten by mosquitoes. Should I worry about heartworms?

Question

My cat was outside for a bit and I noticed there were a few mosquitoes biting her and I think she got bite as well. Should I be concerned? I read mosquitoes can spread heartworm disease and I'm really afraid something might happen to her. What are the chances of her developming heartworms and what are some symptoms I should leave look out for? Thank you.

Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS · Accepted Answer

Yes, that is correct that mosquitoes can lead to heartworms in cats. Symptoms include coughing, lack of appetite, vomiting, weight loss, and asthma-like attacks. Heartworm disease in cats is different than heartworm disease in dogs, and I will put a link below to website that talks about it in more detail. The cat is not a typical host of heartworms, and the worms usually do not survival to the adult stage. Prevention is the only way to keep cats from getting heartworms. There is a chance she could get heartworms, but she is less likely to have adult worms. Read the webpage below to get more information. I hope this helps! https://www.heartwormsociety.org/heartworms-in-cats

My cat was bitten by mosquitoes. Should I worry about heartworms?

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