Respiratory rate in cats...

clubrockers

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My female cat aged 11 years has a resting respiratory rate of anywhere between 40 to 60 per minute while her sleeping respiratory rate is anywhere between 25 to 30 per minute. She had her pyometra operation done in October last year and has put up weight since. She was weighing around 4kgs during her operation, now she weighs around 5.5kgs. Are these readings of respiratory rate normal or should I consult a veterinarian? She is a calm cat around the house but gets quite aggressive at the vet clinic. They have a hard time handling her. So I don't like to take her there much except for her annual vaccination shots. The temperature has also increased in my area, upwards of 30 degree celsius during daytime. I try to keep her in air conditioner as much as possible but she doesn't like the air conditioned room much. She has also become lethargic, eating and sleeping all the time. I encourage her to play but she does play for some time with her toys and running around the house but becomes exhausted after a few minutes and rests. Should I encourage her to play for longer periods given her age and also are there any remedies I can try to reduce her weight beside playing and exercising?
 

fionasmom

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Home Breathing Rate Evaluation | VCA Animal Hospitals

Depending on what you are reading, the consensus of breathing rate for cats is between 15 - 30 per minute. As the article says, much higher can be expected if a cat is stressed out or ill. My Jamie, who is 5, has reached 100 per minute at the cardiologist (first time he ever saw her). It decreased to 72 on the next visit, but returned to normal when we are at home....and he does have HCM.

Hot weather can cause panting and increased RR, especially depending on how hot it is where you live. Have you considered her diet in order to help her lose weight?

At 11, she could be taken in for a senior evaluation to make sure that everything is okay, even though that is not excessively old for a cat.
 

FeebysOwner

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I presume that her respiratory rate, perhaps even a BP measurement, and an echocardiogram were done before her surgery in October, yes? If so, do you know those results? The numbers you noted above are her breaths per minute, correct? 25-30 while sleeping isn't really all that bad, maybe just a tad high. And, trying to gauge 'at rest' mode all depends on when you did it as those numbers can vary based on the degree of restive state that she is in. At any rate, you should be contacting the vet to tell them what you are observing - not just the breathing rate, but the change in activity level, and the weight gain.

Has there been changes to her food that could contribute - at least in part - to her weight gain? She has gained a fair amount of weight for 5-6 months' time. I would suggest you start off first by calculating the number of calories she is currently eating, just as a baseline before reducing her food. And, until you get a more definitive assessment from the vet, I wouldn't try to force additional exercise or play on her if she is not wanting to do so.

Has she had a follow-up appt. since her surgery? That is usually pretty standard, and even more important at her age. There are always small dose sedatives that can be given to a cat to help calm them for a vet visit. Butorphanol is a reasonably safe sedative to use for simply calming a cat - it was given to my 17+ yo just so they could shave her belly before an ultrasound - it wears off pretty quickly. She had no adverse effects from it at all.
 
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