Help- worried about Jake's breathing

I am sick with worry again...I have been noticing lately that at night when Jake sleeps he will breathe kind of loud. He has always done this since I've had him..but the fact that it persists is what is making me feel kind of worried. He is not panting, and his breathing is very steady, it's just that I can hear it especially when he exhales, it's probably just as loud as human breathing..I always mean to ask the vet when I take him for shots but I am afraid that it's just how kittens breathe and that the vet will think there is something wrong because I make a big deal out of it..I'm thinking that it's probably mucus inside the nose that is making the sound because it sounds just like that...I was just reading about cardiomyopathy and how kittens look plump but are bony on their back and that's kind of what i've been noticing with Jake and i'm soo scared!! Would the vet had been able to detect something wrong with the rhythm of his heart if it had been cardiomyopathy?? Because he did listen to his heart...I dunno- he has absolutely no other symptoms and has a good appetite and plays a lot...should I be worried or am I imagining things?

P.s another one of my theories is that he is dreaming so that's why he starts breathing louder? Usually when he starts twitching is when his breathing will get louder...

The best advice I can offer is to call your vet about it. If it is indeed something wrong, the sooner it is caught the better.

Both of my kitties snore. Is that what he's doing?

No, I don't think it's snoring although he has snored before...I dunno, I just measured his respiration rate and it's 30 breaths per minute....That doesn't seem bad..Oh jeez i'm scared and I don't even know if I have a reason to be. I guess the best thing to do is take him to the vet, even if it's just to put my mind to rest...I just hope that it doesn't take a huge amount of money to do all kinds of tests to determine if it's not cardiomyopathy or asthma..although I don't think it's asthma, he hasn't coughed at all..Other things that cross my mind are FeLV and FIV although he is too young to be tested for those...

Hmm so I have a more clear question: Do cats make ANY noise while breathing? He was just lounging on my bed and I heard him breathing again!! As soon I tried to pet him he started playing with my hand though and he doesn't seem bothered the slightest bit!

Dearest ut0pia, it strikes me that you, like me, are perhaps a bit of a worrier? - Please don't take that the wrong way as it is not a criticism! - it's just that I see something of myself in your posts on this thread.

I often hear my cats breathing (and I have noticed this with all three of them!) faster and more heavily when they are in the midst of an imaginary dreaming mouse-hunt, paws and whiskers twitching, caught up in the excitement of whatever is running through their heads. Sometimes one or the other of them will snore, and their breathing patterns change (as ours do) depending upon which part of the sleep cycle they are currently in.

I am not saying that you are the same as me, but I suffer from health anxiety and often find myself projecting it onto my pets, anxious about this or that symptom, it stems from my fear of loss. I am not implying that you are like me in that regard, I am only going by this one thread, so please forgive me if I am way off the mark!

But please if you are worried take Jake to the vet for a thorough checkup, that is what the vet is there for after all

My philosophy is this. Call me a worrier, I'm ok with that, but I know that my animals are healthy!

Wilbur breathes loud when he sleeps too. When he purrs it sounds more like he's snoring.

But if you can afford it, there is NOTHING wrong with getting him checked. Better safe than sorry

Originally Posted by Epona

Dearest ut0pia, it strikes me that you, like me, are perhaps a bit of a worrier? - Please don't take that the wrong way as it is not a criticism! - it's just that I see something of myself in your posts on this thread.

I often hear my cats breathing (and I have noticed this with all three of them!) faster and more heavily when they are in the midst of an imaginary dreaming mouse-hunt, paws and whiskers twitching, caught up in the excitement of whatever is running through their heads. Sometimes one or the other of them will snore, and their breathing patterns change (as ours do) depending upon which part of the sleep cycle they are currently in.

I am not saying that you are the same as me, but I suffer from health anxiety and often find myself projecting it onto my pets, anxious about this or that symptom, it stems from my fear of loss. I am not implying that you are like me in that regard, I am only going by this one thread, so please forgive me if I am way off the mark!

But please if you are worried take Jake to the vet for a thorough checkup, that is what the vet is there for after all

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You are right, I am a worrier...The reason is because when I was a child I had a mean great grandfather (I don't hold it against him and still love him, RIP) who used to get rid of all of my cats and then my parents would have to lie to me to tell me that they escaped or died Later they admitted to me that he was getting rid of them, he lived with us and despised cats..So I think it kind of stayed with me that having pets is amazing but short lived and I'm always paranoid that my pets will get sick and leave me ..I was this way with my hamster and he lived to be a good three years old, which is amazing for a hamster...Usually I calm down pretty soon though..I feel a little better now after Jake played for such a long time, seeing him so full of energy made me calm down...
I really don't have a lot of money to spare for unnecessary vet visits, and I can't even mention my worrying to my parents because they think i'm silly and he is perfectly fine no matter what I worry about (again a sign that i'm too paranoid), so if I take him they will not fail to mention that i'm being wasteful and spending unnecessary money, especially in a bad economic time... They only see him when he is at his best, extremely hyper and they can't imagine he can be anything but 100% healthy, so I dunno if that could be the reason why they think i'm being silly for worrying...I might just call the vet tomorrow and explain to him how loud the breathing is and see what he will say...
Thanks for the replies, it makes me feel better that it's not entirely abnormal to be able to hear your cat's breathing..

You need to stop looking at things online because you will think he has something he dosent.
Has he had a uri before?

No he's never had a uri...he has always lived alone so i don't think he has had a chance to catch a uri...i could be wrong tho

Well, like the cold virus, the URI is pretty ubiquitous. Most cats will get it from other cats, of course, but you CAN carry it in from outdoors, especially if you pet a strange cat.

However, if Jake's breathing has been pretty much the same all along, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Our Ella has a very definite "snork" in her purr, and I've seen a wide variety of cat breaths, so the odds are good Jake is in the normal range.