Do I need to actively calm down my panting cat?

[pegleg]

My cats are about 7 months old and my little boy cat pants a lot after playing.

After eating they like to have a play and he gets himself really wound up, she's fine but he just goes full kitten and ends up panting but doesn't rest, he keeps going.

It's also hot and humid here, generally around 33 degrees Celsius (or 92 degrees Fahrenheit for oldies and Americans) which doesn't help.

Do I need to calm or cool him down? How would I do so?

He's a scaredy cat and scared of fans, both electric and hand. He settles on the tiled floor with his sister and usually has a nap on the windowsill but he's started climbing up the screen so I'm having to keep him off it for now.

 

[di and bob]

I have a cat that I call 'frail' because he lived through distemper and is somewhat immune system challenged. He goes out in our heat, 90-100 degrees, and sometimes plays so hard he pants too, I scoop him up and make him come into the house and lay on the cooler floor. Give a bowl of water nearby and entice them to drink too.  You might try leaving the fan across the room just to stir the air, it might not be so scary. Monitor closely and if you see him having trouble with his balance or you can't wake him easily, put him in cool water (NOT COLD!, that would be too much of a shock) and change it frequently. My cat would be too shocked for water so I lay damp cool wash cloths across him when he seems bad, that helps to get his fur damp and cools him quickly. Getting them to drink is very important. If I was you I would definitely bring him in to a cooler spot when you see him panting and make him calm down. Thank you for being concerned, you are right to be that way, you have a loving heart!

 

[pegleg]

Both of them drink plenty, which is a relief, so that's not a problem. They're indoor cats so I think I'll try getting him to settle on the floor instead of on the chairs under the table or on the back of the sofa, shouting in my ear. He likes playing fetch so I packed the toys away and he went to sleep by his sister.

He's can shout and pant at the same time. It's quite impressive.

 

[Cataria]

Have you checked with a vet about this at all? My cat Shade did the exact same thing all the time when she was younger, and it turned out that she has asthma!

 

[mingsmongols]

Heart conditions can cause panting after exertion as well. I think it's worth a vet visit just to rule out heart/respiratory issues. I've also heard of cats panting when there really excited or overstimulated as well.

 

[pegleg]

He was neutered, jabbed, the full works a bit over a month ago and had a check up for a belly lump a few weeks later when I took his sister in; it was just fat. They were taken in off the street so they've had very thorough assessments which is why I think it's the combination of heat and over stimulation as I've been experimenting with different toys.

There's a clear scale of amount of excitement, shouting and panting ranging from not interesting (ball with bell) to some reaction (stick with feathers/wrestling sister) to solid excitement (fishing pole toys) to hysterical meowing at the sight of it (small jingly mousey).

He's only gets the mousey for a short time now and has a tantrum when it's taken away.

I'm going to keep an eye on him over the next few days, I've been doing diy so in a day or so I can cool a room properly and try this again. If it's still bad I'll take him in.

ETA: And thanks everyone.