Question
The weather has changed and mosquitoes are everywhere. I am a kitten owner and I want to know, do mosquitoes attack animals? kittens/cats/dogs. If yes, is my pet in danger?
Answer
Do Mosquitoes Attack Animals?
Absolutely!
Is My Pet In Danger?
Yes and no - a common and not so common (location dependent) disease that is transmitted to cats and dogs is heartworm disease. Essentially when mosquitoes take a blood meal they transmit infective stage larvae into your pets bloodstream, after ~6 months they are fully grown adult heartworms. These worms cause damage to the heart and lungs, if killed too fast they can clog the arteries causing death to your pet.
Heartworm disease is more common in dogs than cats, though it is thought that veterinarians are under-diagnosing cats because the testing methods aren't adequate.
How Can I Protect My Pet?
Monthly heartworm prevention during heartworm season (again, location dependent) is your best bet along with testing your pet yearly to every second year for the disease. Discuss with your veterinarian for the ideal product and duration to protect your pet. Some common veterinary approved products are:
- Advantage Multi
- Heartgard
- Interceptor
- Revolution
Keep your pets indoors during peak mosquito times (dawn and dusk) and have mosquito netting or screens on your windows to prevent them from coming indoors.
Answered By - Rebecca RVT