What's going on when a cat breathes heavily?

Heavy breathing in cats can be divided into non-disease causes and disease causes. Non-disease causes mainly include high environmental temperature, intense exercise, and stress reactions. In this case, the cat usually returns to normal after a rest. Disease causes are mainly related to pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases, including pneumonia and pulmonary edema. If the cat still has heavy breathing after a long rest, it is more likely due to disease causes, and it is recommended to seek medical attention in time.

High environmental temperature

Cat's sweat glands are not well developed, and their main sweat glands are concentrated in the pads of their feet and armpits. Therefore, when the surrounding environmental temperature is high, heavy breathing will occur, and the cat will also stick out its tongue to cool off. This is a normal situation. Cat owners should promptly move the cat to a shady and well-ventilated place to rest and give it适量的 water. Generally, the cat will return to normal after a moderate rest.

Intense exercise

After intense exercise, the blood flow in the cat's body accelerates, leading to insufficient oxygen supply in the lungs, resulting in heavy breathing. This is a normal physiological phenomenon, and the cat will usually return to normal after a rest.

Stress reaction

If a young cat is in a new environment, it may exhibit mouth breathing due to stress, fear, and other emotions. It may also have a rapid heartbeat and increased body temperature. At this time, the owner should pay attention to soothe the cat and let it calm down. Once the cat adapts to the environment, this situation will improve.

Cardiopulmonary disease

If the heavy breathing is not caused by high environmental temperature, intense exercise, or stress, it is necessary to consider whether the cat has a cardiopulmonary disease. Due to hypoxia, the cat breathes heavily to get more oxygen. In this case, it is recommended that the owner take the cat to a pet hospital for examination and treatment to avoid delay in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease.