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My cat stopped playing, breathing heavy, and yowling. Is he okay?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Mediumhair | Male | neutered | 7 years and 4 months old | 18 lbs

My cat stopped while playing, began to stare at the floor then laid down and yowled twice. He is breathing heavy but purring. What should we do?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Ricardo Fernandez, DVM

Veterinarian, Veterinary Oncology Resident

Published on November 7th, 2017

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Heavy breathing is certainly abnormal in cats. It can be seen with conditions like asthma, heart disease, bronchitis, pneumonia, among other possibilities. This is usually concerning in cats and warrants a visit to a veterinarian as soon as possible for further assessment and possible treatment. They will likely going to perform thoracic radiographs, among other diagnostics dependent on the results obtained. Treatment would be dependent on the findings. Good luck and have a good night!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Dr. Strydom, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on March 5th, 2018
Hello, so sorry to hear that Mecca is having this issue.

Breathing issues in cats can be very serious. I am glad that he is seemingly pretty normal right now but that can change quickly. His symptoms seems a bit perplexing though. My best guess is that he may have asthma which is actually pretty common in indoor cats however, they don't usually exhibit weight loss, increased thirst and an unkempt coat. Those are more commonly signs associated with diabetes in cats. So, my best recommendation is to get him to a vet for an exam and some blood testing/x-rays. Many diseases can be ruled in/out with some simple diagnostics. It is better to be safe than sorry.

Hope this helps. Best wishes!

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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My cat breathes heavily after playtime. Is this a health concern?

I would definitely be concerned about this. Without actually seeing the incident or knowing a little bit more about your kitty, it's difficult for me to tell you what this might be. That being said, what you are describing definitely sounds like episodes of feline asthma or some other inflammatory / obstructive pulmonary condition. If your kitty is an older individual, the chance that this is something more harmful like a respiratory cancer or infectious process would be higher. In very young kittens, I would always suspect upper respiratory infection over any thing else until proven otherwise. An x-ray is usually good enough to diagnose feline asthma though in some cases it can prove challenging. Hope you and your vet can figure things out. In the meantime, I would tune down the playtime.

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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!

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