New Member Introduction

Hi everybody,

My name is Teri, and I have a wonderful, unique cat named Luna. She's actually my boyfriend's cat, but since I moved from PA to AZ about a year ago to live with my boyfriend, she has definitely become my cat too. I love her totally and completely, and she certainly seems to feel the same way (thank God).

When I was scanning through the threads I noticed the one about kisses. Luna will sit for hours and just watch me and give me those slow, adorable blinks. The more I do it back to her, the more kisses she gives. It melts my heart every time. She also give kisses me kisses on the lips, she'll come right up to me and put her little mouth right on my lips. My heart swells so much when she does this that I thinks its going to burst.

I'm thrilled to find a site with so many people who love their cats. Sometimes I think people think I'm a little crazy because I talk about Luna so much. But, as I'm sure you'll understand, she's just so great and adorable that I love talking about her.

The main reason that I started looking for cat sites was that here in AZ there's a heartworm breakout. I don't know much about heartworm, so I'm a little concerned. I've done some research and found that it can be contracted from contact with other animals and through mesquitos. Luna doesn't have contact with other animals (we live in a second floor apartment & she's and indoor cat), but she spends a lot of time on the balcony and we have a lot of mesquitos. Does anyone have any info on heartworm? She seems to be fine, but from what I can gather, many animals don't exhibit symptoms of this problem, and it's not a good idea to give over-the-counter stuff for the problem unless you know they have it. She really hates the vet (she's always a mess for two days after the ordeal) and I hate to put her through that if it's not necessary. Any advice or info will be greatly appreciated. Teri

Hi and welcome.

It sounds like you have a beautiful kitty. You are very lucky.

I am afraid I cannot give you any advise. But I am sure with all the knowledgable catpeople here someone will soon.

Spike

I don't know the first thing about heartworms, but I'm sure someone on here does. This site is the best & I'm sure you'll it!

Teri, Welcome to the cat site. You'll love it here. I am not sure but, don't think cats are stricken with heart worms. I have had my dog tested and then have her on heart worm medicine but, the vet has never mentioned treating the cats. I would call your vet and ask them for specifics.

Welcome to the catsite!! As for your question, yes cats can get heartworms. It is incurable in cats but dogs can be cured. If the cat is going to have ANY contact with mosquitos, then you should contact a vet and get her on either heartguard for cats or the revolution. There is no over the counter medication. The medication you can get by prescription prevents it and does not cure it.

Thanks to everyone for getting back to me. I'm going to call the vet in the morning. Luna really hates it, but I'll gladly upset her if I can keep her safe . I can't even imagine my life without her. She's so precious. She's sitting beside me right now making sure I pay more attention to her than the computer . Again, thanks for the advice.

Welcome to TheCatSite! You can talk a lot about Luna here - we all talk a lot about our babies and no one here thinks that's crazy (we're sane! It's the other folks what's strange in the head )

Try and find a vet in the area that sells Revolution. This would be the easiest way to give her the prevention. It is a liquid put on the back of the neck monthly like advantage or frontline. She wont mind that at all.

Tashovlin......WELCOME! I am glad you have joined us, and I hope you post often!!!!

I want to thank everyone again for the warm welcome you've all given me. I really love this site.

To give you an update, I took Luna to the vet today to get her tested for heartworm. This situation has prompted me to get a new vet as her usually one told me I was crazy and cats don't get heartworm. Since this is a licensed vetrinarian, I was shocked. They certainly can get heartworm, and it can be fatal as there is no cure. The new vet that I finally selected after many calls let me bring her in today to get tested. Because of the outbreak here in AZ, and the fact that the balcony that Luna loves to go out on is right over a pond (the courtyard at this complex is landscaped), and the balconies are lighted (drawing more mosquitos), they felt she was at a significant risk.

I'll have the results of the bloodwork tomorrow and will keep you posted, but the vet felt pretty sure that the test will come back clean . She recommended Heartguard becuase it can be crumbled up into her dry food and she'll never notice it (Luna is a very fussy eater and I would need oven mits to try to get her mouth open for drops).

I was very proud of my baby during the exam. She was a little angle, even when they drew blood. She just tucked her head under my chest and let them do what had to be done. She is making me pay for it all since we got home though. I'm still getting the "you betrayed me" eyes and the cold shoulder, but I'm sure she'll be fine in an hour or so .

Just wanted to let everyone know that we didn't get the results of Luna's test back yet. The lab was backed up so the vet didn't get them yet. It was a long day waiting for them to call. When I finally called them, I got nervous when they said they didn't get the results yet - I thought there was something wrong, but the nice people knew I was nervous so they made sure to let me know that the lab was just being slow and nothing was wrong. I'll keep you posted.

I am sure everything will be fine. There are cats out here that have heartworm (because if vets who said that cats dont get it) that live quite a long time. They keep them on heartguard because it prevents any new young ones from hatching. I just wish they could treat it. Did you ask about the Revolution by Pfizer? Like I said, it goes on the back of the neck like advantage and you only do it once a month.

I hope you're right. My heart has been in my throat since I first found out that it could be fatal if she's infected. I can't even begin to imagine my life without my little baby. My eyes fill up everytime I even think about and my heart feels like it's ready to break.

I did ask the vet about Revolution and she seemed to feel that Heartguard would work bette for her. I'll double check with her when they call. It sounds like it would be easier than something I have to try to get her to eat.

If it is cought early enough the survival rate it much better. I am just glad you found out about it. Your vet was no help in that matter!!
I am now living in the what seems to be the capitol of heartworm and Lyme's disease. Revolution is fairly new to the market but there hasnt been any reported cases of heartworm while using the revolution. I am partial to it right now because it is easy and it also treats for fleas,ticks,ear mites and roundworms. I have my dog on it right now and the cats dont go anywhere near the outside so I stick with advantage just for fleas. I am overly cautious because the dog does go outside. Make sure and let us know when they get the results back!!!

Hi everybody,

Just wanted to let you all know that Luna's bloodwork finally came back and she's fine (whew) and is now on Heartguard. The vet did mention that it's really a good thing I got her in when I did because there's a cat only a block away from me that wasn't so lucky.

If any of you know pet owners in Arizona, please let them know that this heartworm outbreak is real and they should get their pets checked as soon as possible.

My sincere thanks to everybody for their support. Being a mommy for only year (she's technically my boyfriend's cat, but I think she and I both forget that), this was my first major health issue with her. Needless to say, it really scared me. She's my precious little girl and I want nothing more than to see her live and long, happy, health life.

Oh its wonderful to hear that she is fine.

I am glad she missed it all together. I really need to have hubby call my father in law. I don't know if he has his dog on heartworm. They are in Phoenix. It is a bad problem here and I worry about my dog. The cats are all indoor all the time, so I dont worry so much. I wish more people would do as you have. A lot of outdoor cats here are not on any prevention.

Teri; I missed this thread when you first came on site, but I read it all just now and am so glad everything is fine with Luna. Welcome to our family of feline lovers. Still can't believe what some vets don't know and don't care to keep current on! That is why I always ask more than one vet if I don't like the answer I get from the first one. I should say that is what I used to do; I now have an "all feline practice vet" and she is the best!

Thanks for checking up on my situation. It's so nice to know that people care .

Sandie, you should definitely call your in-laws out here. From what I can gather, the epidemic is growing pretty rapidly. I just saw another warning on the news on Saturday and it's now throughout Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe. It's pretty scary. I'm so glad that Luna is protected now. I didn't even know if I had anything to worry about in the beginning. Thank God for the people in this site who were able to help me gather info.

Threeleggedcat, I completely agree about asking several vets questions. I was really upset when I tried to get Luna tested at her regular place. It made me question every visit we've had there. I called about 10 local vets after that to try to find one I could put my faith in. This new place was really great. The people were wonderful with Luna, they seemed very informed, and they were willing to take her in the same day even though they were already booked up for the day because they felt she was at risk.

I plan to become much more informed on feline health now so that I can be sure that Luna is well protected, and I have a feeling that this site will be a great source of information. I look forward to spending a lot of time here.