Flat Chest Syndrome

I think my kitten may have this syndrome... He is three months old.. he has trouble breathing and gasps and struggles while sleeping.. what is the prognosis of this little guy living and growing into a normal little kitten.. he is very playful, eats good, but has this breathing problem.. the vet said his rib cage is inverted instead of rounded... any suggestions or anyone had this problem..He is a Siamese Mix... Thanks

The good news here is, the vast majority of kittens who do not make it are under about 3 weeks old.

It is considered to be caused by an extremely low amount of taurine in the momma cat's milk. (usually in an unhealthy or old cat)-(taurine deficient)

It is often seen in Burmese/Siamese/purebreds, but can be in all breeds as well.

In my opinion, if he has a strong, normal heart beat and rate, and his breathing is not too labored, he may very well develop and outgrow this, as his body and chest grows and matures.

It's surely something to be watching, and likely within the next 3 months of growth, will help tell whether or not he will need something to help shape it or if it will do it on it's own.

You might want to ask your vet if a taurine supplement will be helpful at this point or if that would only be if he were much younger, as they do treat the nursing mother cat with this so the babies get the extra taurine.

Best of luck!

Has he had an xray done?  You might want to ask the vet to do so if it hasn't been done already.  Sometimes with this condition they will have a Diaphragmatic Hernia which can cause the difficulty breathing.