Panting After Play - Is This Normal?

Today Treasure met the fun of Da Bird.  I'd read about them on the board and decided to pick one up when I picked up food.

It's amazing and she adores it.  She was running all over the room, doing back flips and side flips not to mention the end for end mid air tumbles.  I never knew that the kitten could be such an acrobat. 

However, after about five minutes of play she started open mouthed panting while chittering at Da Bird.  Worried, I put it in the closet and she plopped her furry little butt under the fan.  And within two to three minutes, she was back to normal and staring at the closet where I'd put Da Bird.

I think it was just exhaustion from playing so incredibly hard, but I'm wondering if this has happened to anyone else.

Yes it has.  I called the vet about it.  They said that that's how the cat sweats and I would be sweating too if I worked out really hard.  It was not the nicest way they could have said it, but I was happy to know that it was normal.  

it happens when they play too hard. My two kittens occasionally pant after rough and tumbling or playing withe the laser pointer.