Can kittens pant from excitement?

[bowshi]

Hi everyone. Lately my cat Sushi (8 months old) has been panting during play sessions. From what we've observed, it only happens with the wand toy, and very rarely when he's been sprinting circles around the house being chased by his brother. The panting never lasts for more than 5 seconds and never leads to him having to lie on his side to rest. He'll just chase the toy for a bit and after a few good jumps, I take the toy out of his reach and he'll stare at it while panting. He'll stop in a few seconds and continue trying to swat at it.

This is all pretty recent. We used to make him run around the house with the wand toy and laser pointers, and never did he stop and pant. It started maybe a month or so ago, when we put a new feather attachment on the wand and he went ballistic chasing it. Now whenever he plays with a wand toy he'll start panting after a few minutes.

We have a vet appointment booked for next Wednesday to have them listen to his heart again, but in the meantime I'd love to hear from anyone who has experienced similar situations.

A few things to consider:
- His brother Bowser (who I've posted about previously) has a congenital heart defect which is why we're worried, as they are littermates. Bowser has never panted that we are aware of.
- When we scaled back activity for Bowser to keep his heart rate low, it obviously meant Sushi wasn't getting as much exercise as before too. Could he just be out of shape? He's not overweight in the slightest and still runs around daily playing with his brother.
- Sushi seems to have doubled in size and weight since we got him, with a ton of growth happening in the last month. I'd guess he started at around 3lbs and is probably now close to 8lbs, within 5 months. Could this just be him getting used to his new heavier body?
- At Sushi's first vet visit back in mid March, the vet noted that he was perfectly healthy, no heart murmur or any other abnormalities.
- Do cats pant when they're bursting with excitement and happiness? He loves to play, is he just getting way too hyper?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi,
I think I'd try and get a video with sound for the vet to look at so s/he can see exactly how Sushi is acting. You have some really good points (activity level lately, major growth spurt lately).

 

[bowshi]

Hi Furballsmom, thanks! I actually did get a few videos and shared them with the vet through email already. That's what led to them recommending a check so they can examine him physically in person. I'm hoping they recommended it just to be thorough and not because they suspect something bad... I understand it can be hard to fully analyze these things through a 5 second video.

We're going to bring a wand toy with us to the appointment to see if we can replicate it.

 

[susanm9006]

Willow used to love wand and laser play when she was young and always panted for a long while near the end of the session. She always checked out fine at the vet and is now 13.

 

[misty8723]

I just want to chime in to say some time ago I adopted a 6 month old kitten. She would pant when we were playing with the wand toy. It turned out that she actually had FIP, which at the time was a death sentence. Not saying your kitten has that, but it's worth considering that it could be something serious that could (now) be treated before it got to the worst stage. I'm glad your vet is having you take Sushi to get checked. Good luck!

 

[di and bob]

He may be just panting with excitement too, I have seen cats do this when watching a bird. If it is only after vigorous exercise, I wouldn't worry too much but still have it checked out. As you said too, with his new heavier body, it will take him a while to get used to it.

 

[Alldara]

In my experience, we've never had a kitten pant who didn't have a heart murmur, unless it was very hot and a very long play session.

Calcifer will breathe heavily, but not pant (again, unless hot out). So climate could play a part of it's recently summer.

Congenital heart murmurs may not be serious though. Magnus's is very minor, but he has some panting. He grew well. He has taurine suppliments and has outgrown the murmur though it may come back. A growth spurt can kind of activate this temporarily, and the taurine suppliments helped the heart to catch up. The vet hasn't heard his murmur in the last while, but says we will continue to monitor throughout his life.

Let us know what the vet says!

 

[Caspers Human]

Humans can pant when they get excited. So can cats!

However, if a cat gets winded from playing and you notice it happening more frequently than before, you might have a health issue on your hands.

Think about it from a human perspective. If you used to be able to go jogging for half an hour without getting winded but, lately, you end up panting every time, what would you think? You'd probably think, "Hey, I'm getting out of shape! If this keeps up, I think I'll need to see a doctor!"

Same thing goes for cats! If they used to be able to run and play without getting winded but, now, you notice that they can't play without getting winded, it's probably time to talk to a vet.

 

[lollie]

My cat would pant as a kitten when she was upset. When I had her in the car in her carrier, and once when she couldn’t figure out how to get down from a cat tree. Cats will pant when stressed and I imagine kittens will do the same.

 

[maggie101]

Hi everyone. Lately my cat Sushi (8 months old) has been panting during play sessions. From what we've observed, it only happens with the wand toy, and very rarely when he's been sprinting circles around the house being chased by his brother. The panting never lasts for more than 5 seconds and never leads to him having to lie on his side to rest. He'll just chase the toy for a bit and after a few good jumps, I take the toy out of his reach and he'll stare at it while panting. He'll stop in a few seconds and continue trying to swat at it.

This is all pretty recent. We used to make him run around the house with the wand toy and laser pointers, and never did he stop and pant. It started maybe a month or so ago, when we put a new feather attachment on the wand and he went ballistic chasing it. Now whenever he plays with a wand toy he'll start panting after a few minutes.

We have a vet appointment booked for next Wednesday to have them listen to his heart again, but in the meantime I'd love to hear from anyone who has experienced similar situations.

A few things to consider:
- His brother Bowser (who I've posted about previously) has a congenital heart defect which is why we're worried, as they are littermates. Bowser has never panted that we are aware of.
- When we scaled back activity for Bowser to keep his heart rate low, it obviously meant Sushi wasn't getting as much exercise as before too. Could he just be out of shape? He's not overweight in the slightest and still runs around daily playing with his brother.
- Sushi seems to have doubled in size and weight since we got him, with a ton of growth happening in the last month. I'd guess he started at around 3lbs and is probably now close to 8lbs, within 5 months. Could this just be him getting used to his new heavier body?
- At Sushi's first vet visit back in mid March, the vet noted that he was perfectly healthy, no heart murmur or any other abnormalities.
- Do cats pant when they're bursting with excitement and happiness? He loves to play, is he just getting way too hyper?

Thanks in advance!

When my cat was a kitten she would pant after playing

 

[cmshap]

My cat would pant as a kitten when she was upset.

Yeah, this is pretty normal for a cat to pant when stressed. The only time I've seen my cat pant was when he was stressed by some unusual event.

I tried introducing him to a family member's cat years ago, which did not go well. We separated them immediately, but then he was panting like crazy for a while after, even after being returned home to his familiar environment.

I started another thread a while back about my cat randomly starting to pant. But he's a senior, and he hasn't done it since. As mentioned in the thread, one theory is he was stressed on the night when it started to happen.

Cat started panting tonight?

I'll be interested to read whatever updates bowshi may post after seeing the vet. Panting from play is something I've never seen, but that doesn't mean it's not possible. Hoping it's normal, especially because it's only very brief in duration.

 

[downton ali]

My cat would pant a lot after playing with wand toys too. I learned to take breaks with him to give him a chance to regain his energy.

I'm glad the vet will see your cat to evaluate him as then you'll know for certain.

 

[iPappy]

My bottle baby (RIP ) would play so hard he would lay down and prop himself on his elbows and pant for a few seconds when he was a young cat, but as he got older he didn't play as hard and grew out of it. He passed away from cancer at 15 and as far as we know, there was no cardiac involvement. Having him checked just in case and for your own peace of mind is a very good idea.

 

[maggie101]

My bottle baby (RIP ) would play so hard he would lay down and prop himself on his elbows and pant for a few seconds when he was a young cat, but as he got older he didn't play as hard and grew out of it. He passed away from cancer at 15 and as far as we know, there was no cardiac involvement. Having him checked just in case and for your own peace of mind is a very good idea.

So different kitten to adult. Imagine a 2.5 pd kitten grabbing a mouse toy and crouching in a corner huffing and puffing. She would growl if anyone tried to take it from her!

 

[maggie101]

My bottle baby (RIP ) would play so hard he would lay down and prop himself on his elbows and pant for a few seconds when he was a young cat, but as he got older he didn't play as hard and grew out of it. He passed away from cancer at 15 and as far as we know, there was no cardiac involvement. Having him checked just in case and for your own peace of mind is a very good idea.

RIP to your kitty.

 

[bowshi]

Wow, thank you all for your insights and experiences! I'm glad to hear many cases were innocent in the context of a hyper kitty. For those of you who shared about your late pets, so sorry to hear and I really appreciate you taking the time and sharing, I know it's not easy to relive! Glad we have this vet appointment next week for some peace of mind.

We've continued playing with the little guy. He has panted a few times since. But it's odd because he'll sometimes pant even after a minute or two of jumping for the feather, and then other times he'll parkour around the entire room at full tilt, jump onto tables and couches and do a near backflip onto our solid hardwood floor, and be completely fine with no hard breathing. Guess we will find out more next Wednesday!

Note: he also trills like all the time. When we touch him, when he sees a toy, while he's chasing a feather... maybe he's just very vocal? hopefully this isn't a problem because it honestly is the cutest thing ever.

Cat tax (one month ago pre growth spurt):

 

[cmshap]

Note: he also trills like all the time. When we touch him, when he sees a toy, while he's chasing a feather... maybe he's just very vocal? hopefully this isn't a problem because it honestly is the cutest thing ever.

My cat Willy is exactly the same way! He even trills every single time he jumps.

Does your cat vocalize whenever he/she jumps?

And lately he stares me in the face constantly, waiting for me to make eye contact, and then gives me an "Mmm!" when I look at him.

Odd new quirky behavior?

He's been talking constantly for the 9 years he's been with me. He's just an extra-chatty cat.

 

[bowshi]

cmshap - we should count ourselves lucky! Feline-human communication is just adorable. Although I wish Sushi and Willy could talk, I'll settle for this. The language barrier is totally worth it for those cute moments

My other cat Bowser isn't as vocal, but will always announce any feats of strength/power by meowing (eg. Jumping onto a 5' high breakfast bar) to get my attention first to make sure I'm looking. They are just the best, I can't imagine life without them!

 

[cmshap]

cmshap - we should count ourselves lucky! Feline-human communication is just adorable. Although I wish Sushi and Willy could talk, I'll settle for this. The language barrier is totally worth it for those cute moments

My other cat Bowser isn't as vocal, but will always announce any feats of strength/power by meowing (eg. Jumping onto a 5' high breakfast bar) to get my attention first to make sure I'm looking. They are just the best, I can't imagine life without them!

Yes, I love it. It feels like we are talking to each other... And I live by myself so it is just me and Willy.

I ask him questions sometimes, like if he is seeming to seek attention (climbing on me, staring at me, bunting me), I ask "what's on your mind?" and his response is always "Mmmm!"

And "Are you hungry?" gets a response that sounds kind of like "Mmm-wow!" and a beeline to his food dish.

 

[bowshi]

cmshap - Sounds like you have the feline language down pat! It's so cute that Willy actually talks back to you. Cats really are a gift. Usually Sushi will only trill if there's some sort of physical stimulus and not when we talk to him. I did trill at him the other day and he trilled back though. Heart melted haha.

Brief update: so we visited the vet today, and Sushi's heart sounds all normal, no murmur or arrhythmia present. Obviously that doesn't mean that there's definitely nothing wrong, but it's one less thing to point to heart disease. As suspected, the vet said the only way to tell for sure is if we get an echo done, as sometimes HCM can exist without any heart murmur. She did say that panting is not uncommon in cats while playing (her cats pant after intense exercise all the time), and that they can pant out of excitement too. She said she wouldn't have worried if it wasn't for Sushi's brother having a congenital heart condition. So she will refer us, and we may opt to get an echo done soon. In the meantime, we'll keep playing with Sushi the way we have been. He's panting less frequently now, so hopefully that really is a sign that he was just lacking fitness with his new weight (he gained almost 2 lbs from last visit) and that playing with him is conditioning him to run around with his heavier body.

That's all for now Will provide an update when we do the echo.