Heartworm prevention is part of your Persian’s overall health and wellness. Your local vet should include a test for heartworm disease. Heartworm disease is a serious disease that can be fatal if not treated properly. The disease itself is caused by a foot-long worm or heartworm that can invade the heart, lungs and blood vessels of your cat. Unlike dogs, your Persian may only have one to three worms present in her body. If cats do have heartworms they are most likely to have no adult worms. However, the worms can still cause damage to your cat’s health by causing a heartworm associated respiratory disease also known as HARD. Medication used to treat heartworms in dogs is not effective in cats. Because of this, prevention is the only method of protecting your cat and keeping her healthy. Your veterinary clinic Flushing, NY can test your cat’s blood to determine the presence of heartworms. See details here.