5 month old kitten pants after little play

Hello all!

I adopted a 4 month old kitten about a month ago, when playing with a feather toy he goes INSANE and starts panting after very little play, maybe 2-3 minutes. The panting is just a quick one or two short pants. He will keep playing, but pant once or twice after a burst of running. Afterwards he'll pant once or twice again and about a minute after he won't pant at all and just lounge around.

He went for his first checkup but the vet said his heart and lungs sounded fine, and that he doesn't show any other signs of asthma or anything of that sort.

I've stopped play when he starts, but we have another cat and we're introducing the two so they'll run around and he'll pant and I'm worried to leave them alone, even though I've been slowly introducing them for about a month now, the kitten still stays in our bedroom primarily while they're getting to know each other but he really wants to be out exploring.

Any tips?

Also, I've read all of the big panting threads on this forum, so please don't link them. I'm looking for new and updated first hand experiences. I assume I might be over reacting because the panting is short and brief and stops almost immediately at least within 2 minutes after play. But I've noticed it's gotten a little more frequent.

We also got him as a rescue from the humane society, and he was pretty small, he's up to about 6-7lbs now, so maybe I let him free feed too much?

Should I let him explore with the other cat? They still swat, but no hissing and no real wrestling, just some swatting. I'm more worried about the chasing and running and him panting.

Thank you so much in advance. This topic has been stressing me out beyond belief. It's MY first cat(others is my Girlfriends) so I just want him to be okay!

If the vet has given him the all clear I"m sure it is okay. Cats will pant if they are exerted or even if they happy after playing for a few minutes. I probably wouldn't worry too much unless the cat looks exhausted after a play.

One of my cats used to do this too when she was kitten but she grew out of it.

As for the swatting, I've found cats will do this for awhile as they pass each other. They are still not sure of each other but swatting to me, doesn't mean aggression, it just means don't get too close!

elise1030 said:

 
If the vet has given him the all clear I"m sure it is okay. Cats will pant if they are exerted or even if they happy after playing for a few minutes. I probably wouldn't worry too much unless the cat looks exhausted after a play.

One of my cats used to do this too when she was kitten but she grew out of it.

As for the swatting, I've found cats will do this for awhile as they pass each other. They are still not sure of each other but swatting to me, doesn't mean aggression, it just means don't get too close!

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply!

So, the only thing that worries me about it is right after, he will be tired, and plop down, but not like dead exhausted. Sometimes he will nap, but the panting stops almost immediately.

I've had this concern brought up to me as well, when I mentioned my indoor kittens pant after a heavy session of hardcore interactive play with their wand toys. FYI, I made my kittens jump and chase on sofas, beds, their 4.5 cat tree, etc for about 10-15 minutes and they started to pant afterwards, and then serve them their meals to get their energy out and have them chill. One kitty even pants (breathes open-mouthed) when he's stressed or anxious during a drive to the vet's office. Anyway, it was ruled out they were both fine (heart & lungs) by the vet, and highly unlikely for both my kittens to have a heart condition because they are not littermates. The chance of heartworms were even more minute due to the location I live. (Inhospitable during that time of year--April). I also learned that heartworm occurences are rare even in dogs for my area, so that was pretty much the clincher for me. 

So, if you also live in such areas, and have no dogs in the area, and your cat is indoor-only, I'd relax as well. If not, there are preventatives like Revolution, but there is no cure for heartworms in felines. Also remember that in time, heart conditions like a murmur may appear later in life, so having at least an annual exam by your vet may be worthwhile. Sometimes we all need some assurances that our kitties are alright. But being vigilant is a good skill to have. 

Hope this helps...  

Tumbles did this when he was a kitten.  I think they play harder than their little bodies can handle sometimes.  I would stop play for a few minutes and let him calm down and then continue playing. He's a healthy 4 year old now who still loves to chase his feather toys and run around like a little maniac.

Both of my kittens do the panting thing. I've had my first for about 8 months and just got another a month ago. It takes about 5-10 minutes of rigorous play to get them to do it, but I play with them both at least 2-3 times a day to keep their energy levels low being that they are still getting used to each other. I wouldn't worry about it. Only because you've gotten the all clear by a vet. It seems perfectly normal to me. Outside of ot being a little trippy when you first see a cat pant, it's actually kind of cute. I like to run mine around until they either fall over on one side and breathe heavily, or pant. Then we do treats and water and they immediately take naps. Lol I do the same thing to my nephew

ms waise said:

Both of my kittens do the panting thing. I've had my first for about 8 months and just got another a month ago. It takes about 5-10 minutes of rigorous play to get them to do it, but I play with them both at least 2-3 times a day to keep their energy levels low being that they are still getting used to each other. I wouldn't worry about it. Only because you've gotten the all clear by a vet. It seems perfectly normal to me. Outside of ot being a little trippy when you first see a cat pant, it's actually kind of cute. I like to run mine around until they either fall over on one side and breathe heavily, or pant. Then we do treats and water and they immediately take naps. Lol I do the same thing to my nephew

Click to expand...

He does it when he jumps from a high spot too, kind of lets out a little pant sigh or when he jumps really high he does it on take off and landing, I think it's just him being excited. He also purr's NON-STOP the minute I pet him and won't stop unless I leave the room for a while. I think he's just an excited kitten who had a rough few first months on earth and doesn't know how to handle being the center of my attention/being loved. He was picked up on the side of the road only about a week old and lived in a very over populated shelter for a few months. All of the shelters in my city are disgustingly over-populated, so much that kittens don't even get picked up for months, let alone the older cats.

They're even doing a "Name your price" adoption. Pay whatever you want, comes with shots and first vet visit just to get the cats into homes. It's pretty sad.

I have two 8 1/2 month old kittens, Luke and Mimi.  Luke has occasionally panted for a very short time after running around like a maniac. It's only two or three pants and then he stops.  His nose and paws are VERY hot when this happens, so I think he is overheating himself.  He doesn't know when to stop! He will drink if I offer him water.  He is a longhair, which can't help.  His sister doesn't do it. Her fur is slightly shorter, and not as thick, but she still has a bushy tail. Maybe she just has more sense!  I did mention it to my vet when he went for his last shots, and she listened to his heart and didn't seem concerned. 

The only other time I've seen panting in one of my cats was when I got into a hot car with a black cat to take him to the vet.  He immediately started panting. I took him back inside, and ran the a/c in the car for a while before I tried again.  Black cats overheat easier than cats with lighter coats.

When a cat is having trouble breathing, they will stick their neck out and breath through their mouth.  That posture is a sign of heart or lung disease.  It looks different than ordinary panting.

Unless he's panting for a long time, your little guy is probably fine, especially since your vet isn't concerned.  Have fun with him!