6 month old kitten breathing fast while sleeping - when to call the vet?

[CorynM]

Hello!
I noticed recently that when my kitten, Jiji, is asleep, he breathes quite fast. I counted it for the first time just now and ended up with 50 bpm, which I know is quite high for cats. Sometimes he seems to be breathing heavily as well, and it sounds like he may be wheezing or snoring every so often.

Otherwise, he seems completely fine. He runs around and plays normally, eats all of his food, drinks his water, and uses the litterbox normally.

He's had three vet appointments in the past two months (not for medical reasons, for international travel paperwork and vaccines), and the vet never commented on it, which is the main reason that I'm asking here. He was always given a clean bill of health.

Jiji was last seen by them 20 days ago, and the only thing mentioned was a slight runny nose that the vet wasn't worried about.

Should I call them about his breathing?

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. Does he still also have a runny nose? The wheezing and/or snoring does sound like he could be dealing with some sort of respiratory issue - perhaps, something as simple as sinus congestion.

At a minimum, I would call the vet and describe to them what you have told us - they may want to check him out a bit further.

 

[Alldara]

I think you should call the vet and ask them about it..it can be a sign of a heart murmur.

If it is, That sounds really scary, but it can happen when they are growing. With taurine vitamins it can help them to outgrow it. There are some precautions you have to take if they have one like making sure they don't overheat. It's better to know if anything.

Magnus was very active and playful too it hasn't held him back at all.

 

[CorynM]

Hi. Does he still also have a runny nose? The wheezing and/or snoring does sound like he could be dealing with some sort of respiratory issue - perhaps, something as simple as sinus congestion.

At a minimum, I would call the vet and describe to them what you have told us - they may want to check him out a bit further.

He has the runny nose still, yeah. He’s had it for quite a bit, but it’s only noticeable at night. I’ll give the vet a call as soon as they open on Monday!

 

[CorynM]

I think you should call the vet and ask them about it..it can be a sign of a heart murmur.

If it is, That sounds really scary, but it can happen when they are growing. With taurine vitamins it can help them to outgrow it. There are some precautions you have to take if they have one like making sure they don't overheat. It's better to know if anything.

Magnus was very active and playful too it hasn't held him back at all.

I’ll call as soon as the vet opens on Monday! Glad to know that it’s likely something treatable!

 

[Alldara]

CorynM a very mild murmur can be hard for a vet to hear, or it may have just happened because of growth. Our vet kept Magnus half a day, as he was just purring too much for them to hear it she had a second vet confirm.