Kitten Pants During Play

[Oscar&Copper]

My kitten Copper is 18 weeks old. I've had him for about a month. Just like a kitten, he plays hard. Him and my 11 week old Oscar play tag through the house all the time. Copper though, will start panting halfway through their play. He doesn't show any signs of respiratory distress, he'll pause for a min and get a drink and he's right back at it, still panting. It freaked me out the first time, I try to get him to rest but... he's a kitten. He only pants during play, so it's directly related to activity. He has a very dense coat and I imagine gets hot easily. It's so bizarre to me, I've never seen a healthy cat pant like a dog before. Is this normal in certain cats? Could asthma be to blame?

 

[tabbytom]

It's normal for them to pant when they play hard like running and jumping around non stop.

My boy pants too if he runs like crazy

 

[Oscar&Copper]

It's normal for them to pant when they play hard like running and jumping around non stop.

My boy pants too if he runs like crazy

Thanks! Just what I wanted to hear. I've never had 2 kittens at the same time before, I had no idea their energy level!

 

[LTS3]

Totally normal It's like if you ran a block and then had to stop to catch your breath.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

I actually disagree, in that I don't think panting in cats is really "normal". Yes, it's true that occasional panting in cats or kittens might happen after an extreme amount of play (esp. if in hot weather), but, personally, I would feel better if you did check with your vet and describe the frequency of the panting, and the situations in which it occurs. It really should not be happening all that often. It might not hurt to have some tests done on your young cat. You'll want to make sure there are no respiratory, cardiovascular, or an other medical issues. Even heartworms can reduce heart and/or lung capacity, and most parasites need to be dealt with if they dwell within your kitty.

 

[Oscar&Copper]

I actually disagree, in that I don't think panting in cats is really "normal". Yes, it's true that occasional panting in cats or kittens might happen after an extreme amount of play (esp. if in hot weather), but, personally, I would feel better if you did check with your vet and describe the frequency of the panting, and the situations in which it occurs. It really should not be happening all that often. It might not hurt to have some tests done on your young cat. You'll want to make sure there are no respiratory, cardiovascular, or an other medical issues. Even heartworms can reduce heart and/or lung capacity, and most parasites need to be dealt with if they dwell within your kitty.

Thank you. I was planning on mentioning it to my vet at their appointment next Friday anyway, I just wanted to get a feel for whether or not it's normal. He's been de-wormed twice, once by the rescue then again by my vet. Would that not have taken care of heart worm?

 

[LTS3]

I've sent my vet numerous videos of my Aby panting and gasping after playing. The vet said it was perfectly normal, especially since my Aby was a mini

24/7.

It's definitely a good idea to ask the vet and show him / her a video or two if possible. The vet will determine if it's normal for your cat or if some testing needs to be done. Kittens are super active, some breeds more so than others. If the vet says it's normal, try to go easy with play time.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Various parasites are killed off by various medications. Some meds are particular to the type of worm or parasite and so a generic "de-worming" may not conquer all worms, etc.

From what I understand, heartworms can happen from mosquito bites from infected mosquitoes. I think dogs are usually more susceptible than cats.
This is an off-site link from the FDA (the part about cats can be found if scrolling down that page)-
Keep the Worms Out of Your Pet’s Heart! The Facts about Heartworm Disease

Your vet can give you more advice on how to test for such things. Many vets prescribe a med called Revolution to help combat fleas, heartworms. But at this point, you really don't know the cause(s) of your kitty's frequent panting -- glad you have an appointment set up! Take some videos of when your kitty is panting and try to note down how long the panting lasts and if you see any other issues besides the panting, so the vet can get an idea what is going on.

 

[beckbjj]

Do keep an eye on Copper. My Grace is the only cat I've ever had that panted with hard play. Between age 1 and age 2 she had a couple times when she looked like she was hacking up a hairball without success. Then at age 2 she had an episode where she couldn't breathe and had to be rushed to ER. She was in an O2 chamber for a couple days and ultimately was diagnosed with asthma.

I'm not saying to fret over it, just keep an eye on him. If you notice him doing the classic hairball maneuver but not producing any hairballs, seek out a vet knowledgeable about asthma. (Asthma knowledge is very important, many vets give incorrect med dosages/incorrect instructions when it comes to asthma meds.) It's a pretty common, totally manageable thing, if it happens. Grace is doing awesome, now at 3.5 years old.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

 

[misty8723]

Don't want to alarm anyone, and not sure it's related, but shortly after we got Darcy (maybe 9 months old?), she began to pant when she was chasing a bird on a wand. I stopped immediately, and she calmed down, so I figured it would be okay. Maybe a month later, she started getting sick and it turned out to be FIP. I always think maybe playing with her too hard is what brought it on, although vet tells me no. But I don't know much about kittens and hopefully it's just a normal thing for kittens.