stress/anxiety/panting/acting like scared

Hi there, I have a 10mo old kitten I got from the shelter. Now I've been reading a lot of the old forum posts about stress, anxiety & even breathing or behavioral issues. Ever since I got him he's been more high strung then the other cats that came home with him. All the kittens are around the same age & were in the same pen when I got them. I got them all in Nov. He's always done the licking at the area where the tail meets his body, sometimes he twitches & then runs like a spaz. I got some Feliway & have sprayed that around but I honestly don't know if he's got other issues than simply stress or anxiety.

Today, I was sitting on the couch & he was running all around & he ran onto my chest, opened his mouth & was breathing rapidly & shallow. I've seen him breathe like this before, it's like he smells something & his nose is going crazy, it's like what a bunny does with his nose. But today he was breathing through his mouth. His eyes were dilated, huge & black pupil. So I get up & he jumps off of me, jumps up on the computer desk, jumps down, comes back, jumps down, comes back again & had an open mouth again. I was like - do I need to take you to the Dr? & then he jumped down & laid on the floor. When another cat jumped off the couch near him, he jerked like he was afraid. It was 100 here today. It's over 80 inside my house & don't know if this is a heat issue? I put some water in his mouth & then sprayed the Feliway on the carpet in his usual spot until the carpet was wet. He now has calmed down to the point of him snoozing out.

I wrote all this down so next time I go to the vet I can ask, but anyone with lots of cat experience can you please offer any advice? I am trying to avoid the vet because my vet is expensive & I also think if he had some kind of medical issue, it wouldn't just stop. Like this would be a daily thing & it's not. Like I said today is the first day I've seen him mouth breathe & this day has been extremely hot.

Thanks guys

Kittens are very playful so they use a lot of energy moving around so maybe he was just tired and panting because of the heat, also can be that he is not well adapted to his new environment. Cats can react differently to different places because they have their own unique personality.

i think the heat is affecting him.

from what you described, he sounded like he was having a minor freak out. something spooked him, and he reacted the way he did. Poor kitty is definitely on edge.

please do take him to the vet. to make sure there are no health concerns. And i would try to keep him in a cool area if possible, and away from the other cats. please set him up in a room with a litter box, his food and toys, and let him slowly acclimate to his new home. let him venture out only if he wants to. 

I have a feeling he's going to be the skittish kitty. its okay, I have one. you just have to be more sensitive to his needs. 

the heavy breathing concerns me the most. please take him to the vet as soon as you can, and keep him in a well ventilated and cool area.

Well, as I haven't gotten used to checking this site more than I do yet, it's been a couple days & of course he's back to normal. I wrote everything down & will take him in. Strange. He's been here along with 2 other kitties since Nov. I picked all 3 up at a mobile adoption unit from the Humane Society. He goes anywhere he wants & is always out in view, laying round or playing or whatever. His behavior seems totally normal except for that one day. I sprayed the Feliway around & I'm beginning to think that worked.

Thanks all