Cat panting is not common compared to dogs who pants to calm themselves down and are almost always panting.
Cat panting is something the cat owners do not experience, and there are certain reasons and signs that cats reflect when they are panting. If you are a cat owner and owner of a healthy cat, you might have experienced panting once or twice or never. Cat panting only happens when cats have internal issues, are under stress, feel hot, or are super exhausted after playing.
There are different types of Cat Panting and each may have a different reason. We will also look at what to do when your cat pants and when to consult a vet so that you are fully aware of cat panting by the end of this article.
Normal Panting
Cats rarely pants when they feel over-stressed or feel hot. Stress is something highly dangerous for a cat, and in over-stressing, cats start to pant. Being a cat owner, you should calm your pet down and avoid the situation that is causing your cat to pant. Again to tell, this is not something very common and if you experience this frequently, visit the vet.
Another situation when cat panting is normal is when the temperature is very high. In high summers, cats start to pant as their body is already warm and excessive heat causes them to pant.
Abnormal Panting in Cats
If there is no element of stress or high temperature in the surrounding, and even then, your cat is panting, there are some abnormal reasons for that. You need to identify the reason for this abnormal panting to ensure that your cat remains fit and healthy.
Proper investigation can be done by vets only, and therefore, it is advised to monitor the cat and take her to the vet if you think something is abnormal. However, these may be the reason.
Heartworm
One of the reasons for frequent cat panting is heartworm. This disease causes breathing issues in cats, and therefore, they start to pant. Heartworm disease is fatal and requires instant and proper medication to cure the disease, including treatment for reducing inflammation and oxygen therapy in some serious cases.
Asthma
Asthma is another medical condition in cats that causes them to pant. This condition includes coughing and wheezing along with panting and causes difficulty in breathing. However, asthma can be controlled and cured by medicines.
Respiratory Infections
Respiratory infections caused by viruses or bacteria cause panting in cats when they suffer breathing difficulty due to congestion and the presence of mucus. The infections require antibiotics courses to remove them completely from your cat’s body and relieve her difficulty breathing.
Lungs Issue
Lungs issue is something that causes severe panting in cats. In this condition, the fluid appears in and out of the lungs, causing difficulty breathing for cats due to rapid and deep breathing. The situation also causes severe coughing in cats making their condition more severe. The condition is fatal but can be treated if the fluid is drained and proper medications are given to dilate the blood vessels and minimize the effect on the cat’s heart.
Anemia
The deficiency of red blood cells in the cat’s body may also cause light to moderate panting in their body. This is because red blood cells are responsible for carrying oxygen to the body, and when there is a lack of proper transportation of oxygen, the cat will start panting.
Pain
Although cats are very strong in controlling their pain. There are some situations in which cats experience severe pain, and as a symptom, they start panting. However, look for other symptoms along with pantings, such as aggressive behavior, changes in food eating patterns, rapid pulse, or excessive purring, then you need to take her to the vet to diagnose the pain.
What to do if Cat is Panting?
You need first to identify if panting is normal or abnormal. For that, check if your cat has been playing and started panting after that. If that is the case, let her relax and offer her water, she will feel comfortable.
Check if your cat is in any traumatized condition. Remove the element that is causing the stress, and your cat will stop panting. Also, if the weather is hot and your cat is panting, it means that she is having difficulty coping with the weather. Take her to a cool place and give her cold water; she will be relaxed and happy.
If there are no such reasons mentioned above, then your cat is panting due to abnormal behavior. You need to consult a doctor to identify the disease in the earliest stages.
When to Consult a Vet for Your Cat’s Panting?
Always remember, panting is something that is not very common in cats. Once you are sure that panting is not due to any normal reason, and your cat is showing other symptoms as well, such as deep and rapid breathing, loss of appetite, or any other bad medical condition, take her to the vet and get her checked so that the disease can be identified.
If your cat is panting, getting lethargy, aggressive, and getting pale or blue, consult the vet as soon as possible so that the vet can start medication.
The vet will give the necessary medications to the cat and will monitor her for days to ensure that the disease is gone from the cat’s body. In certain cases, your cat may require surgery but that is very rare.
Conclusion
Cats are fragile and recover slowly if exposed to any disease. Therefore, it is vital to get your cat to check if you start experiencing any abnormality in breathing accompanied by panting and other symptoms to get her treated in the initial stages.
Sometimes panting is due to weather or after the playtime of your cat. Neglect all the normal reasons so that your cat does not feel any stress by visiting the vet.