Does anybody have any experience treating a cat that has been diagnosed to have heart worms? My seven-year-old barn kitty is going through right now and besides being on the prednisone protocol that is about all we can do apparently. She still breathing hard and sometimes open mouth breathing. I’ve had to take her to the vet a few times for additional oxygen therapy which helps her temporarily. I’m just wondering how long this lasts until she could possibly come around and if there is any hope. She has been xrayed and her heart is a bit enlarged and her lungs show lots of inflammation. We started her on enalapril for her heart last night. And now twice a day on prednisone. Please share any experiences with me. Thank you
No personal experience but when we were exploring possible causes for my cat’s breathing issues last year the vet seemed hopeful it was heartworm, which made me think it was very treatable.
Good luck to your kitty!
I’m sorry you’re going through this OP! Did you guys elect not to treat? The meds you’re mentioning aren’t going to kill it. They’re designed to assist with symptoms. I’ve only seen HW in cats a handful of times in 20 years and most people elected not to treat so I have no first hand knowledge of the treatment. But there is treatment. What you’re doing now is palliative. Did your vet make that clear to you?
I have a barn cat that tested positive to heart worms about 2 or 3 years ago. She and her brother get Revolution monthly, but there was a time when that didn’t happen for several fall/winter months. These cats are barn/outdoor only and 15 years old. She is also on meds for hyperthyroid. And she has gone completely deaf. The only treatment I was told was to keep her on the monthly Revolution. Apparently you don’t treat heart worms in cats they same way as in dogs. They both get bloodwork, vax and a vet exam at least once a year. (Her brother is diabetic and also hyperthyroid.) So bloodwork is necessary to monitor meds. They both have sneezy runny-nose allergy type stuff all the time. Occasional coughing too. Vet thinks it’s just their environment. There’s dust and hay in the barn. They live in the barn.
At any rate, her last 2 blood pulls showed no evidence of active heart worms. At this point in her life, I worry less about heart worms and way more that something is going to sneak up on her while she is asleep and eat her. She is totally deaf now. They are locked in the barn at night, but she does go out some in the day.
Hope you have good luck with your kitty.
Treatment??
If there was a treatment I would surely do it! Please tell me more! The only treatment I know of is surgical removal bear the jugular vein which is not very successful nor commonly done. Is that what you are referring to?
My vet has said really it is just treating the symptoms that she has, which is respiratory / inflammation basically. Makes breathing difficult. The treatment they do for dogs is usually fatal for a cat and is not really done anymore.
Such a shame. I wish there was more I can do.
I know the slow kill treatment for heartworms in dogs is liquid ivermectin and I think the rate is 1/10th of a cc per 11lbs of body weight. I’ve not wormed a cat with ivermectin but have used it in small amounts to treat topically for ear mites. I wondered why it’s not used to treat heartworms in cats and found this good article and the answer is, it can be: http://www.2ndchance.info/heartwormsCat.htm
Best wishes for you and your kitty.
https://www.heartwormsociety.org/pet-owner-resources/heartworm-basics
Info there. So are you guys now giving HWP? Usually cats only have like 1 HW! It’s crazy. But you can prevent more. There are some treatments available that aren’t in the link I posted. You should talk to some of the universities.
I realize this is a barn cat and you probably don’t want to do a whole lot more because it can be pricey and such. But do educate yourself to prevent in the future maybe?
Jingling for you and yours. Just wanted to make sure that you understood that what you’re doing now is not curative. There are options but some are a little pricey and/or risky.
Thanks buddyroo! Ive been on that site a lot. ?? unfortunately it doesn’t have anything new that helps treatnent. There are no true treatments. A cat must clear it on its own and with vet help for symptoms using prednisone mostly. But yes, Revolution is the preventative and she will be getting that if she pulls through this critical time. In the mean time, if anyone knows good palatable food that cats love or even holistic ideas I am open to hearing that! Thanks everyone.
I have a cat that tested positive for heartworm this year. She’s an indoor only cat. As a technician, I know Revolution is the best medicine but not something I can afford to put on 6 cats every month (my barn cat is on Revolution). Kitty does have a hear murmur but does not show any symptoms. She is also very shy and would be impossible to medicate in any manner so I have elected not to pursue any additional diagnostics since it won’t change how I am able to manage her. Good luck with your kitty!
And isn’t Revolution an Ivermectin derivative?
According to google, the two drugs are closely related 
Horsenut - your experience is why I’ve kept my indoor-only cat on HW preventative for his entire life (he’ll be 16ish this year), even though my vets look at me a little funny when I remind them that I need a 'scrip for the cat as well as the dogs! (He gets Heartgard for cats, they get Sentinel.)
FWIW, vet said (as others have posted) that cats generally only get one HW, and that cats usually seem to be better at clearing them from their systems than dogs are, but that if I cat is HW+, you don’t treat with Immiticide as you would in a dog.
I use Heartgard for cats, as Revolution, as has been noted, is more expensive, and I’m less comfortable with topicals.
Good luck with your guy, OP - and my guy, who is a bit of a pickypants, likes Nutro “Soft Loaf” style foods more than anything else (right now) - he just licks the gravy off everything else…
Good luck op. I don’t have much to add for you, but sending well wishes for your kitty. There has been a good bit of research, hopefully we will soon have a real treatment for cats as well as dogs.
