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My cat is breathing fast, has a hard stomach, and is dry heaving. Why?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Male | neutered | 3 years and 3 months old

My cat looks like he is breathing rapidly because his stomach is moving in and out fast, his stomach is also hard and he is dry heaving. What can be causing this? I know you will say to see a vet and we are going to tomorrow when they open but We are just wondering what it may be?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Daniel Fonza, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on December 27th, 2017

Hi there and thank you for using pet coach to address your concern. Based on on your description, there could be many possibilities of these symptoms. I would want to rule out any chest or abdominal disease as the cause by taking x-rays to start with. I would also recommend having his blood tested to check for evidence of systemic disease or infection. I am glad to see that you have an appointment tomorrow with the veterinarian so that these tests can be done. I would be concerned about an intestinal foreign body causing an obstruction or something abnormal in the lungs or chest cavity. I saw a case similar to this a couple of weeks ago that ended up being feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), which is caused from a virus and can be fatal and lead to fluid accumulation in the chest or abdomen. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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