My kitten breathes really fast when she purrs

[raina21]

I used to frequent this site but it's been a while. It's also been a while since I've had a kitten. It's been about 6 years. I don't remember any of my cats doing this as kittens (but as I've said, it's been a bit) but my new kitten, Hermione breathes quite rapidly when she purrs. I read that this could be a sign of illness or pain. Part of me feels like I might be overreacting and she might just have a weirdly agressive purr, but the worried part of me is telling me to seek advise.

Some context:

When she purrs, her breathing seems ridiculously fast.
Her mouth is closed when she breathes
She is almost 4 months old
She was spayed a little over a week ago
Her gums are pink
Litterbox behavior is normal
She is still eating and drinking normally
she is still playful and acts normal otherwise
when she is sleeping, her breathing slows.

I couldn't figure out how to embed a video in this post but here is a link to a short video of her rapid breathing and purring. You can hear her purr if you turn your volume up.

little Hermione's purr.


Hopefully I'm just overreacting but I just love her so much and I would be devastated if something was really wrong and I didn't do anything about it.

 

[maggie101]

I don't hear anything but call the vet tomorrow to make an appointment,assuming they will be open tomorrow morning

Rapid Breathing In Cats

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. I couldn't really hear anything either, and the video only really shows her for a brief time with the rapid breathing. Has she done this the entire time you've had her? Is there ever any rapid breathing if she is not purring? Feeby has done something similar, but it seems she is sniffing at something when it happens.

Measure her breaths per minute when she is at rest - One count per each rise and fall. I normally count the breaths for a full 30 seconds and then multiple by 2. Maybe try to get another video of her body when she is purring and then share both the resting count and the video with your vet.

 

[raina21]

Has she done this the entire time you've had her? Is there ever any rapid breathing if she is not purring?

I've had her for almost a month and I think she has always purred like that. I can't be positive though.

She is pretty much always purring when she is around me. Her breathing does slow for the few moments when she isnt purring. It does slow down when she is sleeping or when something else (ie: a toy or one of my other cats) catches her attention. Occasionally mid-purr she will take one huge breath before continuing to breathe fast and purr.

She doesn't act distressed when she does purr but sometimes it's difficult to tell when cats are in pain.

 

[maggie101]

Try to get another video. My cat Coco purrs and snores at the same time other times she's loud!