My cat pants after playing....

...and was wondering if this something I should be worried about. It's only happened twice that I know of and he's a very active cat and is always playing, but last night he was playing extra hard and he began panting. He's just over a year old and is very healthy, eats well and and is a very active indoor cat.
Anyone else ever have this happen with their cats and is there something I should have checked out?

Thanks..
Pete

Hi Pete and welcome to TCS!

Many cats do pant after vigorous play, but it does calm down quickly.

If the panting is prolonged, then it's best to have kitty checked by a vet as it can be a sign of health issues - heart condition, asthma.

Phantom pants after a extra long period of play. But she checks out fine at the vets. If you are worried then take your kitty to the vet. They can check for all kinds of causes of panting.

Thank you. I think my wife and I will bring Sam to the vet just to make sure nothing is wrong. He's such a good cat and I don't want to take any chances.

Sounds good - will put your minds at ease! I hope he's fine and there's nothing to worry about!

It is perfectly normal, so long as it's only after exertion. Cats aren't designed for running for very long (more for stalk then pounce) so when they race up and down after a toy they tend to get out of breath. I noticed that with Jaffa when he was little and asked my vet about it - he said it was normal. But if you're at all concerned you should check it out with your vet - that will set your mind at rest.

Originally Posted by Pete71

Thank you. I think my wife and I will bring Sam to the vet just to make sure nothing is wrong. He's such a good cat and I don't want to take any chances.

Click to expand...

I agree with you and your wife...
Sam should be checked by your vet to rule out a health issue.
Better safe than sorry.

I'll keep my fingers crossed that everything is OK with your boy.
Please let us know what you find out Pete.

My cat Nermal pants after chasing the laser pointer. Some vets think they hear a mild heart murmer while most don't hear anything. However I have read that it can be a symptom of what is called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, which is a heart disease. I am not trying to scare you. Your kitty is most likely just overheating from excitement. But if you have not had it done already, have your vet check his heart out with x-rays possibly ultrasound. I know it's costly but if you love your kitty like I do, you won't hesitate to do it. Better safe than sorry. If you find anything new out about your kitties panting, please post as I am still watching my Nermal when he plays. He is only 2 years old. His heart looked ok when he had an ultrasound last year.

Chessy started panting last night after we were playing with the laser pointer. I felt really bad because I had him chasing the light for about 5 minutes. He was only panting for a few seconds though. Now I will only have him chase the laser for a minute and take a break.