Thread: Panting after running

Open mouth breathing (panting) in cats means that they are trying to get more oxygen to their lungs. In can be a symptom of heart problems (my Pikachu has HCM/CHF and if he is open mouth breathing it can mean he has a build-up of fluid in his lungs and he needs an extra dose of lasix) but in an otherwise healthy, active kitty if it is brief and only happening after vigorous playing, he probably just over-exerted himself and is catching his breath, like we do after a run or something.

Good on you for checking his respiration rates! As a vet-tech I always recommend that people do that at home, it is really useful to know what your pet's baseline vitals are, especially for cats since they will always be high when they are at the vet's office it is good to be able to confirm that they are normal at home.