Why Is My Cat Breathing Funny?

If you’ve noticed that your cat is breathing funny, you may be wondering whether it is simply sleeping deeply, reacting to exercise, or showing a sign of illness. A cat’s breathing can occasionally look different after running, playing, or getting excited, but unusual breathing while resting should not be ignored.

Breathing problems in cats can have many possible causes, ranging from respiratory infections and asthma to heart or lung problems and other conditions. Because cats can hide signs of illness, a noticeable change in breathing deserves attention.

Most importantly, if your cat is struggling to breathe, breathing with its mouth open, or showing signs of severe respiratory distress, seek emergency veterinary care immediately.

What Does “Breathing Funny” Look Like in a Cat?

Cat owners may describe abnormal breathing in different ways. Your cat might:

• Breathe much faster than usual
• Take shallow breaths
• Make wheezing, clicking, or noisy sounds
• Breathe with noticeably more effort
• Stretch its neck forward while breathing
• Move its chest or abdomen unusually strongly
• Cough or repeatedly hack
• Breathe through its mouth
• Pant when it has not recently exercised
• Seem unable to settle into a comfortable resting position

These signs can occur with different respiratory or other medical problems, so the breathing pattern alone cannot tell you the exact cause.

When Is Funny Breathing an Emergency?

Some breathing changes require immediate veterinary attention.

Go to an emergency veterinarian right away if your cat is:

• Breathing with its mouth open
• Struggling or working hard to breathe
• Stretching its head and neck to get air
• Showing pale, blue, or purple gums
• Collapsing or becoming extremely weak
• Making severe or unusual breathing noises
• Unable to rest comfortably because of breathing difficulty

Open-mouth breathing and obvious respiratory distress are particularly concerning in cats. Veterinary sources consider difficulty breathing an emergency because respiratory problems can deteriorate quickly.

Do not wait to see whether severe breathing difficulty disappears on its own.

Why Is My Cat Breathing Fast?

Fast breathing can happen temporarily after exercise, excitement, or stress. However, breathing that remains unusually fast while your cat is resting can indicate a health problem.

Possible causes include conditions affecting the lungs, airways, heart, or chest. Respiratory infections can also cause rapid or difficult breathing, particularly when lower respiratory disease is involved.

If your cat is resting quietly and you notice consistently rapid breathing, contact your veterinarian for advice rather than assuming it is normal.

Could My Cat Have Asthma?

Feline asthma is one possible cause of abnormal breathing.

Cats with asthma may cough, wheeze, breathe rapidly, or have difficulty breathing. During a more severe episode, a cat may crouch low with its neck extended and have obvious difficulty moving air.

However, coughing or wheezing does not automatically mean your cat has asthma. Other respiratory conditions can cause similar signs, which is why veterinary evaluation is important.

Do not give your cat human asthma medication unless a veterinarian has specifically prescribed and instructed you to use it.

Could a Respiratory Infection Cause Funny Breathing?

Yes. Cats can develop upper or lower respiratory infections.

Upper respiratory infections may cause signs such as:

• Sneezing
• Nasal discharge
• Eye discharge
• Coughing
• Congestion
• Reduced appetite
• Lethargy

Lower respiratory disease can cause coughing, lethargy, and rapid or difficult breathing.

A mild sneeze may not be an emergency, but breathing difficulty is different. If your cat appears to be struggling to breathe, it needs prompt veterinary attention.

Could Heart or Lung Problems Be Responsible?

Yes. Problems involving the heart, lungs, or space around the lungs can interfere with normal breathing.

For example, Cornell notes that asthma, heart failure with fluid buildup in the lungs, and fluid accumulating around the lungs are among the common causes of feline respiratory distress. Other possibilities include airway obstructions, chest injuries, infections, and other lung disorders.

Because these conditions can look similar from the outside, a veterinarian may need to examine your cat and perform diagnostic tests to determine what is happening.

What If My Cat Is Breathing Funny While Sleeping?

Cats can occasionally change position, twitch, sigh, or breathe differently during sleep. A brief change that resolves when your cat wakes may not indicate a serious problem.

However, if you repeatedly notice rapid, labored, or noisy breathing while your cat is resting or sleeping, it is worth contacting your veterinarian.

You can also record a short video of the unusual breathing. This may help your veterinarian understand exactly what you observed, particularly if the breathing returns to normal before your appointment.

How Can I Check My Cat’s Breathing?

If your cat is calm and resting, you can observe its chest movements without disturbing it.

Watch the chest rise and fall and count the breaths for a full minute. One rise and fall counts as one breath.

Cornell notes that lower respiratory infections may cause difficult or rapid breathing, and gives a resting rate that should not exceed 35 breaths per minute in that context. Another Cornell resource identifies breathing above 40 breaths per minute as a concerning sign when associated with other illness signs.

A breathing rate by itself does not diagnose a condition. The effort and appearance of breathing matter too. A cat breathing rapidly and comfortably is different from a cat struggling for each breath.

What Should I Do If My Cat Is Breathing Strangely?

First, keep your cat as calm and quiet as possible.

Avoid chasing, excessive handling, or forcing your cat into a position that makes breathing harder. Stress can be particularly problematic for a cat already experiencing respiratory distress.

If the breathing is clearly abnormal, contact your veterinarian promptly.

If your cat is open-mouth breathing, struggling for air, has pale or bluish gums, collapses, or appears severely distressed, go directly to an emergency veterinary clinic.

What Not to Do at Home

When a cat is having breathing difficulty, home remedies are not a substitute for veterinary care.

Avoid:

• Giving human medications
• Using someone else’s inhaler or prescription
• Forcing food or water
• Trying to diagnose the problem from breathing sounds alone
• Delaying emergency care while trying multiple home treatments
• Excessively handling or restraining a distressed cat

Difficulty breathing can have many causes, and treatment depends on identifying the underlying problem.

When Should I Call the Veterinarian?

Contact your veterinarian if your cat has a persistent change in breathing, repeated coughing or wheezing, unusually rapid resting breaths, nasal discharge combined with illness, reduced appetite, lethargy, or other signs that something is wrong.

Seek emergency care immediately for obvious breathing distress, especially open-mouth breathing, pale or blue gums, collapse, or severe effort to breathe.

Even if your cat seems relatively normal between episodes, recurring breathing problems deserve veterinary evaluation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my cat breathing funny but acting normal?

Cats can sometimes hide illness, so acting relatively normal does not necessarily rule out a problem. If unusual breathing persists or repeatedly occurs at rest, contact a veterinarian.

Why is my cat breathing fast while sleeping?

A temporarily faster breathing pattern can occur during sleep, but consistently rapid resting breathing can be associated with respiratory or cardiovascular problems. Monitor the pattern and contact your veterinarian if it persists or is accompanied by other symptoms.

Why is my cat breathing with its mouth open?

Open-mouth breathing in cats is concerning and can indicate significant respiratory distress. It warrants immediate veterinary attention.

Can stress make a cat breathe faster?

Stress or excitement can temporarily increase a cat’s breathing rate. However, breathing difficulty should not automatically be blamed on stress, particularly if the cat is struggling or breathing abnormally while resting.

Should I take a video of my cat breathing funny?

If your cat is stable and you can do so without delaying veterinary care, a short video can be useful for showing your veterinarian what you observed. Never delay emergency treatment to record a video.

Final Thoughts

If your cat is breathing funny, pay attention to how it is breathing and whether the change occurs while resting. Occasional changes after exercise may be temporary, but rapid, noisy, labored, or open-mouth breathing can indicate a serious problem.

There are many possible causes, including respiratory infections, asthma, heart conditions, lung disorders, and airway problems, so it is not possible to determine the cause from breathing symptoms alone.

If your cat is struggling to breathe or breathing with its mouth open, treat it as an emergency and seek veterinary care immediately.