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- Apr 1, 2023
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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!
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!