My cat is panting a lot. Could something be wrong?

Question

A friend's cat who is staying here for the holidays has been panting a lot, mostly when stressed (like when my cat attacked her). After I separated them she stopped doing it for some time. Right now they are separated and she is also in cool room with airconditioning, so it's not the heat. She keeps panting. Have you ever seen this? Could she have a problem.

Answer 1

Do cats pant? Yes they do, usually when frightened or in pain. The act of panting is not the same as breathing. During panting, air is moved back and forth in the larger airways. Little air is exchanged deep inside the lungs where oxygen is taken in by the blood and carbon dioxide is given up. Panting is also a means of exchanging heat since cats cannot sweat except from the pads of their paws

I would ring up a vet or take it to the vet to be on the safe side, i think the fact that the other cats scared it, its more of a fearfuly response, rather then an illness.But its always better to be safe then sorry!

Answer 2

my cat pants when thirsty. panting for humans is when we get hot like after a run. for cats it is much the same if the cat is panting it could be for many reasons. the act of panting is to cool down because cats have fur and can't sweat. cats with thicker fur usually pant more than those with thin fur. this is because they get hotter. it may pant because after the fight it got hot or it could be that it is scared. cats often pant when nervous or scared about something that has or will happen. another possible explanation is that she has a medical problem, and as you are taking her to the vet this should be one of the things to ask about. but some cats pant more often than others. give it water keep it cool and keep it away from the other cat. your doing all the right things.  

Answer 3

Take the cat to the vet immediately. If it's the middle of the night then do it first thing in the morning.  

Answer 4

vets..NOW!

Answer 5

a panting cat for any reason is not normal, and should be seen by a vet immediately.  she may have Asthma

Answer 6

A cat panting is a huge problem.

You might want to take her to the vet to have her checked out for any injuries that could have occured during the fight.

Answer 7

If she's not overheating, it might well be due to stress.  I recently moved home and though our male cat was confident enough to explore all the rooms on the first day, every so often he would start panting and then stop after a short while.  Once he was settled in after a couple of days, he stopped panting completely.

It's worth giving your vet a call to seek their opinion.  They'll be able to advise whether you need to bring her in for a check up or not.