what does panting in cats mean?

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Gwen and Morris

Gwen and Morris

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This past Saturday, Morris accompanied my dd & I to a swim meet out of town. It was a nice sunny day & the temperature was comfortable - not too hot. Morris spent a lot of time panting over the course of the afternoon. I did make sure he had water & moist food available to him at all times.

Is panting in cats the same as in dogs - meaning he was too hot? Any suggestions for preventing this from happening in the future?

I also thought it could have something to do with stress (although I have never seen him do this before!). There was a lot of people around & he had to adjust to new surroundings, etc. I thought his BG levels would jump high under stress - but instead they dropped low!
 
Odie was panting during a long car trip a couple of weeks ago. When I mentioned it to his vet, she said it was likely a stress reaction since it was only in the car.

There are many other reasons for panting though, like respiratory distress, so make sure he doesn't seem sick otherwise.
 
I can't answer the question but I can say Rhinog did it once.

We had just been to see the vet so he was definately stressed. When we came out I put him in the car and then realised that some idiot had parked behind us blocking us in. I went back into the vets, the car owner was in with the vet. The staff said they'd get him to move it so I went back to my car to wait with Rhinog. It was hot but I had all the windows open with a breeze coming through. I offered Rhinog water but he didn't want any. It took 20 minutes before the man came to move the car. I was furious!

So it could be heat, it could definately be stress. (Mine and Rhinog's!)

Great question.

Ruth
 
twix pants every single time we are in the car .. she also foams from the mouth and it hangs from her mouth like those breeds of dogs that always have drool from their mouths .. then she tries to paw it away from her mouth and then she doesn't want it on her paw so she flicks that off ... it's pretty gross ...
 
i have several that pant when in the car, going to the vet's and on the way home. everyone's always said it's stress. mine hasn't been heat because i can have the ac blowing a cool 48 degrees in the car and they still do it.

oh, and Mousie's BG reacts oddly to stress. ring the doorbell at the house and her BG climbs, wind slams the patio table up against the house and her BG drops.
 
Cats can open-mouth breathe from stress, heat, metabolic issues (such as DKA), respiratory problems, heart problems, and congestive heart failure. Generally speaking:

If your cat has a heart murmur and pants, you should get an echocardiogram, even if you think the panting is from heat or stress. Note that a lack of heart murmur does NOT mean your cat does not have heart disease, however.

If your cat pants frequently you should get a chest x-ray and probably an echocardiogram.

If your cat has a history of coughing and pants, you need to go to the ER if the panting continues or, if it doesn't, you need to be at the vet the next day for a chest x-ray.

If your cat has a history of trauma, even if not recent (getting hit by a car, kicked hard, attacked by a dog, falling from a height) and pants, s/he needs a chest x-ray.

If your cat pants after exertion (play or running up stairs, etc.) -> chest x-ray and probably echocardiogram

If your cat's tongue seems to be dark in color, purplish, or bluish, or if the gums are either quite pale or dark red, you need to go to the ER. Don't wait.

If your cat has sustained open-mouth breathing, you need to go to the ER.

Remember that open-mouth breathing/panting can always be a sign of life-threatening heart disease or respiratory disease. Twice during the summer we've gotten cats in the ER who were soaking wet because their families thought they were hot (it was indeed hot out) and wet them down when really the cats were in bad heart failure. So you want to take it in context: is there anything else concerning? Appetite has been down the past few days? Vomited twice this morning? Seems extra "lazy"? Hissing at the other cat when she tries to initiate play? You have reason to be concerned.
 
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