Heartworms In A Cat, Bj As His Story Begins.

[rubysmama]

It’s nice to see BJ at his original weight but.....it’s shifted more to the tummy!

Just more tummy for belly rubs.

Yep! He won’t chase toys. My glasses are the only thing he wants to play with. Glasses on a wand?

LOL.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Let me 'splain about tummies for belly rubs...


She says this was deliberate. Now THREE people can rub teh belleh at the same time!

 

[rubysmama]

Hey, Hekitty, your belly is beautiful.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Fankee vewy vewy much. Lubs. Hekitty.

 

[SmillaBille]

Hi! BJ looks very well cared for
I have a question. I have 2 cats already and I want to adopt a kitten from a shelter. She is very small, was underweight and not in a good overall shape. My vet is strongly recommending to test the kitten for FIV and FeLV, and if she tests positive, vest says, if I take her, she cannot be in contact with my other cats, because FIV and FeLV are contagious.
I read in the beginning that BJ has FIV. How do you manage this?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

SmillaBille , It's almost impossible for an infected cat to transmit FIV with anything other than a deep bite. If the kitten is well-socialized, and properly introduced to your other cats, the chances of a deep bite like this is almost nothing at all. We have LOTS of FIV positive cats living long, happy lives with their FIV negative "siblings" without any issues at all.

 

[Lari]

It's almost impossible for an infected cat to transmit FIV with anything other than a deep bite. If the kitten is well-socialized, and properly introduced to your other cats, the chances of a deep bite like this is almost nothing at all. We have LOTS of FIV positive cats living long, happy lives with their FIV negative "siblings" without any issues at all.

Yeah, I think the FeLV might be more of the contagion issue than the FIV.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

And even that isn't HIGHLY contagious, and most FeLV cats are asymptomatic for their entire lives.

 

[Jcatbird]

SmillaBille I have BJ who is FIV and Mackie who is Felv. I got all my kitties immunized first of all. For everything possible. My vet does think the BJ is more at risk for catching a cold etc. from the other cats than of giving them anything. It is not considered to be the risk that was first imagined several years ago. I actually have several cats and do keep my Mackie and BJ separated. I have a room set up for the cats and can switch them out as needed. My Felv is not in an active stage of illness. If he becomes actively ill he will require private quarters but the illness is usually short term.He is an older cat at this point and has been very healthy and active. Neither cat has had any issue to date. If you can adopt that kitten I strongly suggest you do so. Love and affection along with good home care makes all the difference with these kitties. She should improve greatly in a loving home. Mine certainly did!
Mackie is the joker and my laughing cat. Always ready to play tricks. BJ is the lover and guardian of all. They add so much to our family.

Here BJ is guarding one of the girls, Flowers. He is very affectionate to all the kitties but he really loves the ladies. Lol

Obviously he is a plump and healthy sweetheart. My big teddy bear of a cat.

The gratitude shown by these kitties is unmatched. BJ guards the house and his human too!
Please keep us updated about the kitten. I hope she finds a place in your family.

 

[Gosman]

Thanks for answering my post today about my 16 year old adopted cat, Pretzel. She has been tested as positive for heartworms but we are getting more extensive tests to confirm. She shows no symptoms as of right now. Has BJ shown any signs yet?

 

[Jcatbird]

Thanks for answering my post today about my 16 year old adopted cat, Pretzel. She has been tested as positive for heartworms but we are getting more extensive tests to confirm. She shows no symptoms as of right now. Has BJ shown any signs yet?

The only signs BJ has shown was some weight loss and coughing in the beginning. He coughed and sort of wretched like a hairball was coming but nothing came up. If it had continued we probably would have put him on some steroidal treatment but it stopped. The vet is of the opinion that as long as he remains healthy we should wait and watch.
I have kept him on a regular regimen of Advatage to prevent heart worms and have worked to put the weight back on him. He has coped well. I hope that Pretzel does not show signs from further testing but if they do show up don’t be too discouraged. A cats’ system is not a good host for heartworms. Please post back and let us know what you find out!
Sending good wishes hopes and vibes to you and Pretzel.

 

[Jcatbird]

G Gosman How is Pretzel?

Bj played tonight. He refused a toy mouse. As and old feral Tom he finds the suggestion of such a thing ridiculous.

Instead he went after my phone cord.

He convinced his lady Flowers to join him in his mischief.

I guess it looks like a giant worm to them! Lol

I kind of hated to take it away since he is feeling good enough to play!

 

[FeralHearts]

Is this my imagination or is B.J. getting bigger? (Not in a bad way)

Handsome as always too!

 

[Jcatbird]

Is this my imagination or is B.J. getting bigger? (Not in a bad way)

Handsome as always too!

It’s not your imagination. Lol He has regained some of the eight he lost. I’m hoping this is a good sign. I hope you and the kitties are well!

 

[Jcatbird]

New screens on the windows protect BJ from any mosquito bites. According to what I read, inside kitties do get heartworms! BJ cannot afford to be further infected so I took extra precautions in order to let him enjoy the night air. Besides new screens and heartworm preventative, I have a Victor flea light trap nearby. Two actually. In the past I have found a few mosquitoes in the traps which proves that they do find a way into our homes and can infect house kitties.

 

[FeralHearts]

It’s not your imagination. Lol He has regained some of the eight he lost. I’m hoping this is a good sign. I hope you and the kitties are well!

I think it's a great sign! He's grown up so much and looks as loving as ever!

We're hanging in there. Charlie has crystals again and Braveheart just had a biopsy on her foot - waiting for the results now. Mia got rave reviews at her first annual (bloodwork of a 2.5-year-old. Not bad for an overweight 6.5-year-old) and White Lable goes for her annual next month but seems to be doing great.

All in all. We're making through day by day.

New screens on the windows protect BJ from any mosquito bites. According to what I read, inside kitties do get heartworms! BJ cannot afford to be further infected so I took extra precautions in order to let him enjoy the night air. Besides new screens and heartworm preventative, I have a Victor flea light trap nearby. Two actually. In the past I have found a few mosquitoes in the traps which proves that they do find a way into our homes and can infect house kitties.

Yeah, my vet gave me trouble once when I didn't do heartworms and responded with "but he's an indoor cat." She looked at me like I had 4 heads and said, "And you've never seen a mosquito in the house." I was like oh DOH! I was schooled!

So I'm glad you're locking those pesky mosquitos out!

 

[neely]

New screens on the windows protect BJ from any mosquito bites. Two actually. In the past I have found a few mosquitoes in the traps which proves that they do find a way into our homes and can infect house kitties.

Yay for new screens, that should make a big difference.
As for those little buggers, they find a way in no matter what, don't they?

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Hek gets a flea treatment that does heart worms, too. I'm thrilled the more people are becoming aware of this.

Instead he went after my phone cord.

Not long ago, I read something by some cat expert that said cat like phone cords because they look like snakes. Maybe a rubber snake would keep BJ off of the phone cord? Although, depending on how you feel about snakes, you might rather replace the phone cords on occasion!

 

[Jcatbird]

Hmmmm. I haven’t gotten any of these alerts! Sorry everyone.
F FeralHearts Yed, indoor cats can get bitten. It seems more indoor cats are tested positive but maybe because they are house kitties that have access to better testing.

neely Yep! New screens that they already tried to sharpen their claws on. Kitties! I have a bug catcher light in there too and I have found a couple of dead mosquitos. There were more before the new screens though so things are better. People don’t realize how often those little bugs get in!

Mamanyt1953 I don’t mind snakes at all. I was always catching them as a child. A rubber snake is a good idea. Of course, it will probably scare the daylights out of Whistle! Maybe Dad can teach him to be brave. Lol
I do love this pic of BJ!

He thought I should come inside when I was on the other side of the screen!

He got some new shoes to wear when he has his glasses on. The girls are loving the look!!

 

[foxxycat]

Jcatbird I looked up that Victor Flea thingy-it's only $16 on Amazon right now...I don't have flea issues in my yard but maybe someone can use this link..
Your kitty BJ is adorable by the way!

Link isn't posting correctly...in Amazon plug in Victor M230A Ultimate Flea Trap and it should pop up as $15.50.


Bee gets Bravecto and we have more problems with dreaded ticks. This summer I sprayed the property with Wondercide full strength=it's 200 bucks for the huge gallon jug but it's only 2 ounces to this container sprayer that I use- it doesn't cover as wide as they claim BUT it does work. It KILLS mosquitoes/ticks etc etc...it's all natural peppermint oil that coats the bugs to suffocate them...I have to do one more spray before winter-we don't get full frost until November which gives these buggers time to hatch.

The wondercide gets applied every 7 to 10 days 2 times then once a month. It is expensive but the gallon jug should last the entire summer and 200 bucks is much cheaper than the price of illnesses and bug bites..I was able to sit in my yard at dusk without getting bit..also Wondercide kills beetles that were eating my marigolds-so I used it in my garden to keep pests away-the only issue is don't spray it when Bees are active-spray it at dusk then it's dried by the morning and won't harm the bees...cutting the grass and discarding dead broken branches also helps keep bugs from breeding...


they have these mosquito donuts to put in any pond/still water that stops mosquitoes from breeding-these are safe for birds/wild life-I have a rain barrel that's open on the top with a screen so I plop one of these in the barrel every 30 days...

If wondercide isn't working-you can use DE food grade sprinkled around the yard-this too is not hazardous for pets/people-it suffocates bugs-fleas/mosquitoes/bed bugs/creepy crawly bugs-some people sprinkle this around the foundation in the basement to stop bugs from getting in-it can be used on pets but beware it's extremely dusty=I used to dip my hands into the container-coat my hands=then rub hands backwards on pet to help cut down on fleas. DE is used by farmers to stop bugs from infiltrating horse/cow/animal foods-those annoying weevel bugs-anyways maybe one of these things can help others cut down on bugs that bug our babies and us...