What is Rapid Breathing?
A normal healthy cat will take 20-30 regular breaths per minute. The air travels into your cat’s lungs and is used to oxygenate the blood, which is then circulated throughout your cat’s vital organs. When a cat is suffering from rapid breathing, this breath rate increases and often becomes irregular, or shallow. This can often be an indication that your cat is not able to bring enough oxygen into the lungs to supply their body’s need. Rapid breathing is a symptom that can be caused by a number of illnesses or injuries. Since regular breathing is vital, if your cat is suffering from rapid breathing (also known as tachypnea) it is a serious and life threatening condition and you should seek immediate veterinary care.
Symptoms of Rapid Breathing in Cats
It can be difficult, if not impossible, to actually count the number of breaths your cat is taking. There are a number of other indications, either gradually occurring over time or acute or sudden in onset, to watch for that would indicate your cat is having difficulties breathing. These include:
- Blue tinged tongue, lips, or nose
- Coughing or gagging
- Lethargy or unwillingness to move
- Lack of energy
- Rapidly rising and falling stomach or chest
- Open-mouth breathing
- Lowered heads with extension of neck and body forward, indicating difficulty in bringing in oxygen
Causes of Rapid Breathing in Cats
Rapid breathing is a symptom with a number of underlying illnesses and injury as potential causes. The most common of these include:
- Trauma or injury
- Tumors in chest or throat
- Respiratory infections
- Pulmonary edema (lungs filling with fluid)
- Pneumonia
- Asthma
- Allergic reaction
- Foreign objects lodged in windpipe or other airway obstruction
- Pain, stress or shock
Diagnosis of Rapid Breathing in Cats
Diagnosis of rapid breathing in your cat will require your veterinarian to determine the underlying cause. This will involve diagnostic tests that may not seem related to breathing, such as blood work, urinalysis and other extensive systemic exams. Given the lengthy list of potential conditions, it will be important for you to provide your veterinarian with a thorough physical and medical history of your cat. If your cat is allowed outdoors, has recently suffered from a traumatic injury, or could potentially have fallen from a high surface, this will be important information to help identify potential trauma or pain. You should also provide your vet with a history of progression of symptoms such as approximate time of onset and any worsening or improvement. This will help your veterinarian narrow down potential causes.
Blood work will identify the presence of any infections and will involve a quick needle stick procedure, done in your veterinarian’s office. Depending on the results from a preliminary physical exam, review of symptoms, and blood work, your veterinarian may wish to order imaging of your cat’s chest area. Images such as x-rays or an ultrasound will help identify any fluid buildup, foreign objects, or potential tumors, masses or foreign objects that may be causing the heavy breathing. Depending on your cat, your vet may order a mild sedative be given to your cat to potential limit movement. Your cat remaining calm and still will have a large impact on the clarity of the images.
If heartworm is suspected, your vet will be able to perform a simple in office blood test to confirm whether your cat is infected with the parasite.
Treatment of Rapid Breathing in Cats
Treatment of rapid breathing in your cat will be tailored to the specific cause of the condition. In the case of infections, pneumonia, or fluid filling the lungs, your vet will prescribe strong antibiotics to help fight off the infections. In many cases, your cat may need to be hospitalized so that they can be provided round the clock supportive care such as fluids, IV antibiotics, and administration of oxygen.
If your cat is suffering from shock or pain as a result of trauma, if no broken bones are detected your vet will often take a conservative approach and allow your cat to be released to go home with a prescription for pain medication. You will need to provide a safe, warm and quiet place for your cat to heal and recover. Allergies will be treated with antihistamines and ongoing medication dosage in the case of seasonal or non acute reactions.
Recovery of Rapid Breathing in Cats
Long term prognosis for recovery of your cat will vary from cause to cause. Infections and pneumonia are serious illnesses that need a high degree of specialized veterinary care. In all cases, your cat’s chances for a full recovery will increase if immediate veterinarian care is sought as soon as initial symptoms are detected. Additionally, given the seriousness of lung and breathing issues, you should follow up after symptoms in your cat have resolved in order to prevent potential recurrence.
Rapid Breathing Questions and Advice from Veterinary Professionals
Has Symptoms
My cat has started so breath really shallow more rapid breaths rather than his normal breathing rate and depth. The only thing I can think of that has occurred in the last couple of hours is that my fiancé fed him along with our other two male cats some beef tendon which she has done before. The other two cats are just fine. Kingston however seems to be having a hard time taking a full breath and breathing at a normal rate. I checked his mouth and did not see anything. He isn’t active like normal and will only sit in one spot and not move. I picked him up and held him in front of his back legs and behind his front legs and he let out a slight meow as to not like that. I am not sure what to do for him. We have some allergy medicine but I do not know if that would help in any way. I couldn’t even get him to take a treat which he never turns down. Please help.
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Hi! This is my first time using this website. I adopted a kitten from the humane society two months ago. She is currently 6 months old. She is an extremely sweet and loving kitten and have had no problems with her except for some gum swelling around 5 mo. I took her to a vet and was told she was fine, the gum swelling went down and she lost some baby teeth. I assumed the gum swelling was from that. I am now noticing in her rapid breathing when she is resting, and more recently, at random times she makes a monotone short snore sound. It’s almost as if she is having issues breathing. I have noticed zero behavioral changes. She seems to be doing fine, however I know cats can hide their issues well. I will add she is a Siamese kitten and talks like one!
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Rapid breathing legarthy listless. She's normally an outdoor cat but doesn't really want to go out. Having accidents indoors, sleeping more than normal. Not eaten much but drinking milk, sits on cabinet with her back to us
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Okay so we’ve had our cat since being a kitten and she’s always been very scatty as we think she was abused, due to getting her and her having marks on her neck, but her breathing has always been rapid. (80 resps per minute) but in herself, she’s like any normal cat. She’s very friendly, not in any form of pain, is this something that needs to be addressed?
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