Cat panting after playing

[Millie005]

Hey guys, I noticed my 1.5 year old 6.5kg long fur cat was panting after his play/running session today with his cat pal. I haven't noticed this bahaviour from him in a year. Sometimes I read that it is normal for them to pant especially considering it is Summer right now and about 30 degrees C. Other sites however say that it is totally abnormal for felines to pant. He only does it for a couple of seconds till he calms down. Thanks for reading!

 

[basscat]

Other sites however say that it is totally abnormal for felines to pant.

That would be way wrong. However, I've not seen many house cats pant. They just don't seem to GO to that point as a general rule. Our tabby only pants when he's pushed that far. It's never hurt him as far as I know though.

 

[kittenmittens84]

It’s completely normal for a cat to pant for a short time after playing hard, especially when it’s warm. They do it to cool themselves, and cats are sprinters so if they run around for a while they tend to need to cool down more. Some cats also pant when they’re excited or stressed (like when traveling).

You should be worried about a cat panting if they do it randomly when at rest or just wandering around, if it seems like they can’t stop panting once they’re cooler, if their tongue and gums get very very red, or if they’re exhibiting any sort of weird labored breathing that’s not related to exercise.

My cat pants after he plays in the summer, and he’ll do it much more readily if it’s a toy he’s super excited about. I make sure to give him breaks on the cool floor and take the toy away if he starts getting too worked up, but other than that I’m just glad he’s getting good exercise

 

[LTS3]

Exercise and intense playing will cause any animal to pant After a few minutes, the heart rate is more or less back to normal and sometimes the cat will want to play / exercise more. In the hot summer months it may take a bit longer for the body to cool down and return to a normal heart rate.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Well, I had to translate that Centigrade to Fahrenheit, but yeah. That's pretty hot to be running around in a fur coat. Cats DO pant after heavy exercise. Especially in hot weather. He should recover fairly quickly. Keep fresh, cool water available at all times, but don't be overly concerned unless, as K kittenmittens84 says, he does this at rest or when simply walking around.

 

[maggie101]

Hey guys, I noticed my 1.5 year old 6.5kg long fur cat was panting after his play/running session today with his cat pal. I haven't noticed this bahaviour from him in a year. Sometimes I read that it is normal for them to pant especially considering it is Summer right now and about 30 degrees C. Other sites however say that it is totally abnormal for felines to pant. He only does it for a couple of seconds till he calms down. Thanks for reading!

If this is something he's just started doing and you have had him a year I would be concerned if it keeps happening unless he was up north a year ago now south

 

[amandag1]

To be safe, have his heart checked out. Long hair cats are notorious for heart disease....
If its only after playing, probably nothing to worry, count his resp rate by counting his breaths in 15 seconds and multiply by 4. Cats should be in the low numbers, 20-30 breaths per minute

 

[Mamanyt1953]

Count those breaths after resting, NOT immediately after exercise. Now, should this get worse, TAKE HIM IN! If it stays the same, DO mention it to his vet at his annual checkup. If you do not do an annual check up, this is a wonderful opportunity to get into that habit!