My new cat has lung issues. When should I worry about his breathing?

Hi there, Increased respiratory rates in cats can be due to stress, lung disease, asthma, fever as well as other diseases. Since this happens daily, I would recommend taking Milo in for a chest x-ray to see what's going on and go from there. They will be able to tell you if it's something related to the above mentioned causes, or something else. I hope that helps and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! While panting and open mouth breathing can be due to nervousness to some extent, this most likely signals a respiratory condition such as asthma, heart disease, among many other possibilities. I highly recommend you consider taking Fluffy to your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They will likely recommend starting with an exam and chest radiographs. Hoping for the best! Good luck and have a great day!

I understand your concerns for Scuff! Fortunately, from the signs that you describe, a foreign body obstruction from plastic is unlikely, as significant vomiting and anorexia would be expected. Wheezy breathing and changes in purring can be caused by asthma, heart disease, hyperthyroidism, among others. While I understand Scuff's fear of the vet, in this case, that is the only way that he's going to be diagnosed and treated appropriately. Consider looking into mobile vets in your area to see if they can make house calls and also have a portable x-ray machine. It sounds as though Scuff will likely need to have chest x-rays to get to the bottom of his problem. I hope that all goes well!

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The best way to measure respiratory rates in animals is when they are asleep. In cats and young animals it is very hard when they are awake as they are sniffing and in cats they purr. I would count his breathing the next time he is in a deep sleep and not purring. I think he is likely fine. He is a young cat and as long as he isn't coughing (sounds like a hair ball) or open mouth panting I think things are fine. if you are still concerned then I would have your Vet examine him. I wish you the best!

I understand that, but Mimu is having trouble breathing so it's a medical emergency. This will be very distressing to him, and it may be he is having heart problems such as heart failure. Heart failure will cause fluid to build up back in his lungs, causing labored breathing. If he does have this and it's left untreated, he will literally drown in fluid in his lungs. You do not want to do that to him, so you need to bring him into a vet immediately. If he does have heart failure, there are medications that can be prescribed to make him more comfortable and diminish his symptoms. Please take him into a vet now. Best of luck.

I would recommend taking DoReMi to a veterinarian as soon as you can. It is not typical for cats to pant unless they are in extreme pain, very stressed, or in respiratory distress. Some common causes of difficulty breathing include heart disease, feline asthma, and pleural effusion (or fluid outside the lungs in the chest cavity). Even if he is just experiencing stress in his new surroundings it is much safer to have him checked out by a veterinarian than to wait until his breathing is worse.

I would make sure she is not purring while she is breathing fast since sometimes purring can make it seem like they are breathing fast when they are in reality not. If you are concerned with how Rosebud is breathing I would start with X-rays to rule out lung disease. If the X-rays are clear and it is not lung related the next step is an ultrasound of her heart. Cats can have heart problems without having a heart murmur. If everything is clear then I wouldn't worry to much but without diagnostics it is hard to say if it is something to be concerned about or not. Thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.