It is your responsibility as a cat owner to give your pet heartworm medicine for cats regularly in order to keep it free from heartworms. Basically, feline heartworm is spread through mosquitos which carry heartworm larvae. The level of this disease is dependent on the heartworms number within the cat’s body, including the incubation, duration, and the reaction of cat. Even though heartworms in cats are not as dangerous as in dogs, it is still a severe disease, and the risk of it is almost equal for both house and stray cats. That is why cat heartworm medicine is highly important.
It should be known that heartworm medicine for cats will not automatically stop the infection from occurring in a cat. If the cat is bitten by an infected mosquito, it might still be infected by the heartworm larvae. Preventive medicine is able to kill the heartworms when they are still in the larval stage. However, this preventative act will not be able to kill off adult heartworms.
Why Heartworm Medication Must Be Given Monthly
You can actually purchase heartworm medicine for cats over the counter, and there are many available choices from topical to chewable type. Although this type of medication should be given frequently every month, the active substance does not actually stay within the cat’s bloodstream for a whole 30 days. It will kill every heartworm larvae which have been within the cat’s system for the past a month.
The preventive medication should only be given to the cat once a month because the larvae need more than a month to develop into the next stage where they can infect the body tissues.
Why Heartworm Medication Needs a Prescription
As a cat owner, you can’t just go to the pharmacy to buy a cat heartworm medicine. The purchase of this type of medication requires a prescription from a vet as it is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. Before giving the prescription, the veterinarian will make sure that the cat does not have any active heartworms infection.
A cat that has an active infection is possible to have a severe reaction to the death if given these types of medications. The response may cause a fatal condition. Therefore, to avoid such a thing, it is highly recommended to bring your cat to the veterinarian to make sure the condition of your feline and before purchasing heartworm medicine for cats.
