What is feline heartworm disease?
Heartworm disease is a serious condition where worms reside in the heart and major blood vessels of dogs, cats and other species. The life cycle of heartworm begins when a mosquito bites an infected animal, such as a dog, with circulating microfilariae in its blood. As the mosquito feeds on the dog, it ingests the microfilariae. During the next 10 to 14 days, the microfilariae mature to the infective larval stage within the mosquito. When the mosquito bites its next meal source, such as a cat, it transmits the infective stage, also known as L3 larvae, to the cat.
