My cat is panting rapidly after travel. Should I take him to the vet?

Thank you for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach with your question about Ramone. I get why you are worried about him. Moving is very stressful on a cat, and and it sounds like he's showing signs of stress. I would not be too worried given that he's now sleeping. He should adjust and calm down. I'd just keep an eye on him for now. Best of luck.

No, panting in cats is never normal. I see that Tammy is quite young, but issues like asthma, heart failure, or toxin exposure could all cause signs of respiratory distress. On occasion, significant stress can trigger panting in some cats, but oftentimes there's also an underlying disease process. I strongly recommend taking Tammy to your vet or an emergency vet right away for evaluation. They'll need to perform a physical exam and will most likely recommend chest x-rays to try to get to the bottom of this situation. I hope that everything goes well for Tammy!

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!

Panting in cats can be caused by stress, so it's likely that the panting was due to Luna being anxious about the car ride. In some cases, panting can also be caused by heart disease or other respiratory problems - this is much less likely if Luna is acting normal otherwise and does not pant in any other circumstances, but you could certainly discuss your concerns with your vet to see if he/she would recommend chest x-rays or any other testing to rule out a serious problem.

Asthma is the # 1 cause for these symptoms. However, it could also be pain from the lower GI tract, underlying heart disease, pleural effusion, or any other lung disorder. If this continues for more than 3-6 hrs, or if Harley seems to have labored breathing and isn't oxygenating well (blue tongue, open mouth breathing, etc), then its best to take him in to your vet for bloodwork +/- chest x-rays to help diagnose the underlying problem and get him on the proper treatment. I hope that Harley feels better soon! Best wishes and take care.

I would be very concerned for cardiac disease or infectious disease (pneumonia) based on those radiographs. With a temperature of 35 C (95 F) that is absolutely an emergency situation. You can see panting with cardiac disease when pulmonary edema begins to develop, which is when fluid is present within the lung tissue and does not allow for adequate gas exchange to occur. I recognize that this was posted 3 days ago, but if Sasi has not been re-evaluated by her veterinarian she needs to be ASAP to determine a treatment plan and if further diagnostics are indicated (echocardiogram, airway wash, etc.).

It's difficult to tell without seeing Gustor, but I would be most suspicious of the new environment being the cause of this behavior. Cats are notorious for not adjusting well to new houses and will display varying signs of distress. If he is otherwise acting normal and eating and drinking OK, then I would not be too concerned. If he does seem to have other problems, then it's probably best to have a vet examine him and make sure there are no health problems. You may help calm him down with a cat pheromone diffuser like Feliway. These can be purchased at the pet store and placed in various rooms in the apartment. I hope that helps and Gustor settles down soon.