Open mouth panting after laser light play

White, you're right, i meant to write "run and jump too much". I'll increase the amount of time for laser play, but I overdid on the first try.

I've heard a Vet once refer to one of my kittens who has recently passed, as having her mouth open in open mouthed breathing and slightly panting - she referred to it, as her being in distress.

I'm not suggesting that it's medical, all I'm saying is that I remember the vet referring to a cat having it's mouth open as some sort of sign of distress.

So, could it be, that the laser light scared her? that it caused an anxiety attack and the panting is a sign of fear/agitation/stress/anxiety? Sure, she'll calm down, but she may have gotten a bit overexcited and experienced a fright?

Unfortunately, Dory's panting has continued and the frequency has increased. Saw a new vet yesterday and he's trying to figure out the best way forward. He's going over my cats' records and will call me back. Dory did have a good visit and the vet could not detect any murmur or anything out of the ordinary.

Still, after reading a bit about cats with heart disease today, I did tear up a bit at work. I'm hoping for the best, but am worried sick that my shelter cat is getting another bad break. She was so sick when I adopted her less than 4 months ago but has since improved and doubled her weight. I thought she was on her way to a healthy adulthood.

Maybe since she was sick before, she just needs more time to build up her stamina?

Except the panting has gotten worse, so she's regressing. She now pants several times a day. When she gets chased by her sister. When she plays. When she's scared. When she's excited. When she's in a new situation. For example, last night she was able to get into the tall hamper for the first time. Her sister was harassing her a bit from the outside. When I tried to give her a hand to get out of the hamper, she started panting. So I let her be. Five minutes later, I gave her a lift and I think she was ready to go as she was happy for the help. It's these episodes that worry me. She even pant at the vet's office a couple of days ago.

Has the vet called you back yet?

I can see why you're concerned. Panting is normal after heavy play, but it sounds like Dory is not just panting due to heavy play....

Is it hot where you are?

No, it's been unseasonably cool here actually. But it wouldn't matter as I keep them indoors and have the AC at 80-82F.

We did talk today and I help put into context Dory's extensive vet records since March. He said he's doing some travel for the rest of the week and that he wants to go over the records again. And we would talk on Monday.

He said he's concerned but doesn't want to rush into any judgments. Dory, is otherwise, a healthy looking cat. Good appetite and litterbox habits and simply has the most sinfully soft coat.

Could the panting be from an injury? I know that the kitties have fallen off from trying to jump onto the bathroom sink (there's no counter so when it's slippery...oops) and hit their chest on the way down. Same with jumping and fighting on the cat tree. Could she have damaged her chest or bruised the heart or respiratory area?

I know, I know, I should stop imagining everything in sight and just wait...Had an incredibly bad day at work (discovered I made a major budgetary mistake in March...) and dealing with this the last couple of days. I just can't help but imagine the worst. And we can't even have a lot of fun as I've tempered the kitty playtime so Dory won't pant.

is it real panting? My cat does this strange thing when she smells a strange scent where she will open her mouth and almost do a mini pant for a second. I think she is trying to use all her senses to find the new scent/indruder. It kind of worried me when I first saw her do it...but there seems to be nothing wrong with her and she's been doing it since I got her (4 years ago).

I've wondered too if it's behavorial rather than health but since it happens after some of activity, I believe it is real panting. She's been doing this strange thing today where she'll run up the cat tree and claw a bit and then look around like something is possessing her. Then she'll pant heavily for a few seconds. That's strange only because it's not like she was active for more than a few seconds.

She's currently wrestling with her sister and haven't panted yet.

Last weekend, I gave her a first bath and oh lord, she was almost hyperventilating towards the end. So either stress induces the panting OR the other way around, the panting is how she copes? In any case, no more baths...

Jake pants when I brush him and he hates to be brushed. I brush him outside so the heat could be a cause as well. But I think excitement can induce panting because Jake pants when he is outside quite frequently even if it's in the evening and it's not very hot. So yea, it's a behavioral response to certain things such as excitement, anxiety, or just discontent.

Originally Posted by tdonline

Last weekend, I gave her a first bath and oh lord, she was almost hyperventilating towards the end. So either stress induces the panting OR the other way around, the panting is how she copes? In any case, no more baths...

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Poor kitty!

I've heard that asthma can sometimes be triggered by stress as well as activity and allergies, has a vet checked her for asthma?

Vet said he can't figure out the problem based on his examination of Dory and her records. And since the frequency and degree of the panting has increased, he recommended I book a cardiology visit. Which I did for next Friday. Strange...I want to FIND out what's behind the panting but I don't want it to be her little heart!

In any case, the cardio visit will be *gulp* $512 and that's just for the basic checkup. No pet insurance and it's too late now due to "pre-existing" conditions.

Well, I hope she gets a clean bill of health but if not, it's good to hear about your kitty. I only adopted Dory 4 months ago but of course, am totally attached now. The thought that she could have some serious disorder has me on the verge of tears when I think too much about it.

Are you going to do the heart scans?
Meeko was 3 months old when we found out and is 9 years old now.
The heart scans are easy.
My Coco had one when she was 13 before she had CRF and she was ok.
I hope your cat will be ok.

She is scheduled for a echocardiogram. Is that the same as the heart scans you're talking about?

Is Meeko on medication for her condition?