Kitten Always Breathing Fast

[Liam & finley]

Hey guys I'm new to the forum (I'm huge in coral reef tanks and have been on plenty of those forums but decided it's time to join this forum for my furry buddy.) I have a 8-9 week old kitten named Finley. He is very active and eats about 3/4- a full can of wet food per day plus as much dry food as he wants.

My concern is that he breathes about 60-100 times per minute. It doesn't matter if he is sleeping or running, he will be breathing fast. Every once in a while he will stop breathing for a couple seconds (from what I can see) and then take a deep breath and then go back to the rapid shallow breathing.
I have already taken him to the vet and he has gotten his distemper shot, a dose of worm medicine or whatever it's called, and got tested for Fiv and leukemia which both came up negative.
Like I said, he's very active, eats, and loves to be around people. My vet said that his heart and breathing sound fine but that was 2 or 3 weeks ago. He has an appointment on 6/27 for his distemper booster so I will mention the breathing thing to her again when we go.

His right eye also has an orange blemish on it but I figured that is probably just because his eyes are changing to there permanent color but I also read that could be an eye infection.

Can anybody give me some input on whether I should be worried or not? This guy is so awesome and funny

 

[Liam & finley]

Here's some pics I took of him while I was writing this thread lol

 

[lacy2000]

As long as the vet said his breathing sounds normal, he should be ok. One thing to remember is that cats do have a faster respiration rate than humans. I have often found myself worried that my foster kittens are breathing too fast only to realize they are all breathing that way. If he is panting constantly or always seems tired, then you should worry, but your kitten sounds healthy. If you are still worried, don't hesitate to call your vet and ask questions. Most vets don't mind giving advice over the phone.

And he is adorable btw

 

[abyeb]

I've heard that it's a concern if a cat breathes 120+ times per minute, so I think Finley sounds fine, especially if the vet also thinks so. But it is a good idea to ask again, when he gets his distemper vaccines.

 

[Liam & finley]

Thanks guys! I read that a kitten should be around 20-40 breathes per minute so I was just a little worried. You guys put my mind at ease tho lol. I'll just keep an eye on him

 

[Gizmobius]

I went through your situation too! Gizmo usually hovers around 70-80 breaths per minute. I actually kept myself awake all night recently reading about fast breathing and thinking the worst based on what I was reading. I made an immediate appointment with my vet and she told me his breathing sounded absolutely fine and she heard nothing wrong with his lungs or heart or any of it. Definitely keep an eye on your cute little boy, but I wouldn't worry if I were you!

 

[Boo Kitty mom]

I've heard that it's a concern if a cat breathes 120+ times per minute, so I think Finley sounds fine, especially if the vet also thinks so. But it is a good idea to ask again, when he gets his distemper vaccines.

 

[Boo Kitty mom]

I just adopted a four month old kitten, so adorable, to keep it from being sent to a shelter. Who knows what would have happened there. I took it to the vet first thing to get it checked out (don't know for sure whether male or female yet), and the vet was very concerned about fast heart rate and high respiration rate. There seems to be a lot of abdominal breathing too, but the little thing purrs ALL the time and you know that makes them seem to work harder. She does get quiet at times, so I don't think the purring is an indication of pain at all. Anyway the vet is concerned about possible heart issues and of course lung issues too, so for now we treated for intestinal parasites and fleas (to counteract possible anemia), and I'm giving .2mL of antibiotic per day for a week. We're going to see if good food, good meds and lots of love will make a difference. If we don't see some improvement after a week, we'll have to do some other testing. We didn't do any vaccines yet, because of the stress the little thing was experiencing. Everything in his/her life at this point is new, and smells different and looks different, so I know the poor thing is stressed and we didn't want to cause more by administering vaccines just yet. Kitty has her own room for now, and it's very quiet and safe there. This was an outdoor kitten, apparently the smallest of the litter, and from a mommy cat who was never neutered and had multiple litters. So I don't know how things will play out. I just know that from day one, this one stole my heart. I'm praying that my new baby will be okay, and getting ready to do whatever I can to give her a good home and lots of love. Tonight, the second night here, I played on the floor with her and she curled up beside me to snuggle. So she's feeling a bit more relaxed at least. I'm hoping I will be able to introduce her/him to big brother soon. My older cat doesn't seem to care one way or the other about having a sibling, which is great. But I have to get her well before they can be formally introduced. I really hope all goes well.

 

[foxxycat]

you can always ask for xray to make sure it's not asthma. Heart chest ultrasound to rule out cardiac issues.

 

[Boo Kitty mom]

you can always ask for xray to make sure it's not asthma. Heart chest ultrasound to rule out cardiac issues.

I'm going to take kitty back Friday to have more tests. I can tell she feels better already. Hoping the antibiotics and nutrition will get her started. Thanks!!