Q: is it normal for my cat to pant?

Answered by Feef on 8/17/2004, 9:15 pm

A: LOL

> > > I have a 10 month old himalayan and he seems to be very
> > > healthy. When we play with him or if he plays with his
> > toys
> > > he runs around wildly having fun then stops to pant,
> just
> > > like a dog! mouth open, heavy breathing.... does it for
> a
> > > minute or so and then he's fine.... thing is, I've
> never
> > in
> > > my life seen a cat do that and it got me a bit worried,
> > even
> > > though the panting only occurs after he's been madly
> > chasing
> > > his ball around the house.... >
> >
> > Exertion will cause panting because of the energy they
> > expend during hard play and running, and is usually fine
> as
> > long as it's ONLY associated with very strenuous exercise
> > and doesn't last a long time. However, there are also
> some
> > health issues that are associated with panting, such as
> > heart issues. I suspect your cat is perfectly healthy,
> but
> > I would also recommend a visit to your vet to rule out
> any
> > undiagnosed problems.
> >
> > I have a cat who 'zooms' around the house at warp speed
> > several times each day, and will suddenly plop down on
> the
> > floor to rest and catch her breath. She pants just like
> a
> > dog, and is 100%% healthy. I'm as cautious as you are, so
> > during her routine vet visit, I had the vet take a close
> > look at her heart just to be sure. I suggest you do the
> > same. :)
> >
>
> Thank you very much! I will certainly do that. Yes, it does
> only occur after a ''hard days play'', but it's always
> better to be safe than sorry! :)
>
> I did have one more question though... unrelated (didn't wnt
> to flog the board with new posts!)... he has recently
> started waking us up at all hours of the morning (usually
> from 0400 to 0530) meowing and running up and down the
> bedroom trying to wake us up because he wants us to play
> with him... which obviously we can't because we're tired....
> but he just doesn't stop.... we've tried ignoring him,
> banishing him from the bedroom when he's naughty, but
> nothing works... he wants to play and that's that! Is this
> hormonal? is he going through his ''teens'' or is he telling
> us we're not paying enough attention? >

First, you're welcome. :)

The bedroom-zoom, "WAKE UP I'M BORED!" routine is SO common with cats, and not only is it related to age, it's also about breed and temperament.

The only way we have managed to control this is by banning all of our cats from our bedroom (we have 5), and put a rug beneath the door to cover the threshold so that if they claw to get in, they don't ruin the carpet. Along with that, we keep a fan running all night for 'white noise' to drown out their insistence that we open that door NOW and pay some attention, dangit!

If this is your only kitten, you might consider getting him a playmate as a means to occupy his little mind with something other than terrorizing you while you sleep. Something else you can do is to make sure that you play with him and tire him out immediately prior to your bedtime, and to feed him a heavy meal. The combination of those two things generally makes them sleepy.

Cats enjoy their night life, but will easily adapt to our schedule. Mine sleep most of the night (and I only know that because I'm up sometimes all night). :)