Cat breathing fast: causes and what to do

Author: John Stephens
Date Of Creation: 26 January 2021
Update Date: 9 May 2024
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Heavy Breathing Cat? This Video Could Save Their Life
Video: Heavy Breathing Cat? This Video Could Save Their Life

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Have you ever noticed that your cat breathes strangely when sleeping? Or that your breathing is much more agitated than normal? What should we do in these cases? It is important to note that the fact that a cat breathes very quickly is always cause for concern. Therefore, in this article by PeritoAnimal, we are going to review what causes can cause this situation and how you should act.

As we will see, although this type of breathing may appear due to emotional causes, is usually related to serious diseases. One cat breathing fast when you can't breathe efficiently, which poses a risk to your life. When you notice this type of breathing, you should take it to the vet. In this PeritoAnimal article we explain some possible causes and what to do if you notice the cat with difficulty breathing.


cat breathing fast while sleeping

Before talking about the pathological causes, we must differentiate a situation that occurs during the cat's sleep. During this sleep, several phases alternate, and it is in the phase REM rapid muscle movements, meowing, and rapid breathing occur in cats. When awake, the panting cat or with fast breathing accompanied by gasps can occur after intense exercise or high temperatures. As long as it only lasts for a few minutes, this breathing is not worrying.

In other situations, we can say that it is not normal for the cat to breathe fast. Any indication that the cat is breathing abdominally, with open mouth or abnormal breathing is a reason for veterinary consultation and may represent an emergency.


Cat with panting breath and does not move

These cases may indicate that the cat has suffered a trauma. A fall from a height, being run over by a car or being attacked by a dog can cause internal injuries that affect lung capacity and, consequently, breathing. Internal bleeding, severe pain, fractures or pneumothorax, which results in loss of air from the lungs, are emergencies that may underlie rapid, shallow, abdominal breathing.

Sometimes, with internal bleeding, the cat breathes too fast and vomits blood. A cat that doesn't get enough oxygen will have a bluish coloration in their mucous membranes, a phenomenon known as cyanosis.


The cat may die soon if you do not receive veterinary assistance, and still, the prognosis is reserved. Requires hospitalization to first stabilize the cat and then perform the necessary tests to diagnose and treat the cause.

In this video by PeritoAnimal we comment on other worrying signs of a cat in serious health:

Cat breathing fast and drooling

Another life-threatening situation occurs after a intoxication. Symptoms include rapid breathing, hypersalivation, gasping, choking and neurological symptoms. A typical example is the poisoning suffered by the cat when it receives a pipette intended for dogs, with active ingredients that are toxic to it.

If your cat has symptoms like those described, you should go immediately to the veterinarian, if possible with the product that caused the damage. Treatment involves administering fluid therapy and medication appropriate for symptoms of intoxication.

The prognosis will be reserved and will depend on the type of toxic substance, the route of intoxication and the damage caused.

Cat with panting and fast breathing

In addition to physical causes, stress can also cause the cat to speed up its breathing and become breathless. You may notice that he is on alert, with the dilated pupils, salivating, swallowing repeatedly and running his tongue over his lips.

First of all, you must reassure him. You should be able to calm down only when the trigger situation is resolved. For example, this reaction can be seen when the cat encounters an unknown congener, but also on a visit to the veterinary clinic.

If the stimulus persists and the cat cannot escape, it may attack. You should always look for the trigger to prevent this from happening. If the cat needs to get used to it, you should start a gradual adaptation. A behavioral veterinarian or ethologist You can establish guidelines to help the cat accept the new situation.

Other reasons why a cat breathes fast

THE tachypnea, that is, rapid breathing, can appear in many other situations. Indicates respiratory difficulty that may be accompanied by coughing, hypersalivation, vomiting, choking, panting, cyanosis, etc. The cat can adopt a characteristic posture with the neck extended. In addition to the causes mentioned, we can highlight others, such as the following:

  • Insolation
  • feline asthma
  • Pneumonia
  • Heart disease, including filariasis
  • tumors
  • Foreign bodies obstructing the airways
  • severe anemia
  • Hypoglycemia, ie low blood glucose
  • hyperthyroidism
  • Pleural effusion

All require veterinary treatment. At the clinic, after stabilizing the cat, as appropriate, diagnostic tests will be performed, such as blood and urine tests, radiographs, ultrasounds, etc., as it is necessary to find the cause that explains the cat with difficulty breathing to prescribe the most appropriate treatment.

Why does my cat breathe so fast after giving birth?

Finally, although a cat may experience rapid breathing and even panting during childbirth, once this is over, your breathing should return to normal. You need to be on the lookout for any of the common problems in giving birth to cats. If you notice that she keeps breathing fast, is restless and anxious, has incoordination when walking, falls, hypersalivation, has a fever, and her mucous membranes appear pale, the cat may be suffering from eclampsia.

the disorder of eclampsia it occurs due to hypocalcemia, that is, low level of calcium in the blood. appears in the breastfeeding period after delivery. Fortunately, this is not a very common disorder in female cats, but it is an emergency that requires the veterinarian to administer intravenous medication.

The puppies will have to be fed or weaned artificially, if you are old enough. When the cat recovers, the family should be reunited, probably giving the cat a calcium supplement if she continues to breastfeed.

This article is for information purposes only, at PeritoAnimal.com.br we are not able to prescribe veterinary treatments or perform any type of diagnosis. We suggest that you take your pet to the veterinarian in case it has any type of condition or discomfort.