How does a cat get Heartworm Disease?
Heartworm infection takes place when a mosquito carrying heartworm larvae bites a cat. These larvae enter through the bite wound, where they develop through the tissue. The immature worms then enter blood vessels and are carried to the arteries and lungs, where they cause an inflammatory response. A lot of the worms will die at this stage, causing further inflammation. If the worms do make it to the adult stage, they can live a few years in the body undetected. When the adult worms die, enough inflammation can occur to cause the death of the cat.
