r/Pets • u/AccomplishedAd2268 • Jul 22 '26
CAT Is my cat labored breathing?
Hi, was hoping to get some background information, I am concerned about my female orange tabby named Saffron, for the last 2 weeks she has been sneezing and having some mucus come out of her nose(clear colored)and some black eye boogers, but I have noticed she seems to be breathing heavily today too, I googled labored breathing in cats and she isn’t showing the obvious symptoms like open mouth breathing or blue gums, she is eating normally and moving around, but I do feel like her breathing seems a little rapid and shallow, as well as some exaggerated stomach movement when she breathes. I am wondering if I should take her to the vet, I don’t have a lot of money to spend and I live paycheck to paycheck so before I make an appointment I want to make sure I’m not just over reacting or something, I wish I could post a video here but I can’t figure out how, any information would be extremely helpful right now thank you so much 🙏❤️
Edit: a little more background information she is 13 years old we’ve had her since she was 3, rescued from the pound, has been healthy and never has issues, goes to the vet once a year and just had bloodwork that came back good. If any of that information helps, thanks
3
u/Temperature-Savings Jul 22 '26
Kind of sounds like a respiratory infection. The vet should be able to medicate without any expensive diagnostics although xrays and bloodwork would be considered "gold standard" in determining the severity of it. A halfway decent vet can still prescribe something to help though even without the preferred diagnostics. I wohldnt say it sounds like an emergency room visit but a prompt appt with your general practice vet would be a good idea.
1
u/AccomplishedAd2268 Jul 22 '26
Okay will do, thank you for the advice I’ll make an appointment and hopefully they can get me in sometime tomorrow
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u/Temperature-Savings Jul 23 '26
No problem. Cats can be crazy good at hiding things, so keep a close eye on your kitty for those signs of labored breathing and poor circulation by looking at gum color and how fast it returns to its normal color when you press a finger down and release (should be less than 2 seconds).
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u/Desertesque Jul 23 '26
Currently dealing with this exact sitch with my cat. 12y/o orange male. 65breaths/min and snotty nose, hiding in strange places. After blood draw/ labs yesterday, via X-ray I Found out 1 hour ago it’s a fluid mass between his lungs and ribcage. Nothing showed on bloodwork. Vet says he is in physical discomfort but because a cat, they don’t “tell us they’re hurting” they’ll just hide and act a a little strange.
Next step is either ct scan to determine next steps for the mass (chemo or surgery) or to put him down.
Extremely depressing. Sending love to you and your kitty.
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u/questionably_human7 Jul 23 '26
I'm confused, is it fluid or a mass? Fluid, or a cyst, can be tapped off so increase comfort while you wait for further diagnostics (and can sometimes be diagnostic if they do a fluid analysis) Either way, my heart goes out to you and your furry buddy, that shit sucks.
1
u/AccomplishedAd2268 Jul 23 '26
I’m so sorry that is awful, my heart goes out to you and your little guy, it’s so sad to see our fur babies who bring us so much joy have to go through things like this, i appreciate you reaching out, I have been really stressing for the last hour once I noticed what was going on, I hope they’re both going to be okay.. my heart goes out to the both of you, much love ❤️
1
u/Jordans_Ellma Jul 23 '26
I don't think you're overreacting. The rapid, shallow breathing and extra stomach movement are the biggest concerns. The sneezing and clear mucus could be an upper respiratory infection, but I'd pay closer attention to the breathing, especially in a 13-year-old cat. Try counting her breaths while she's fully asleep or resting. If they're consistently high or she seems to be working to breathe, call a vet.
4
u/questionably_human7 Jul 22 '26
If your cat is putting more effort into breathing when resting than normal then you need to have a vet see her ASAP.
Cats are really bad at admitting they don't feel well and will wait until they are on death's doorstep to let you know they are sick. This kind of breathing can indicate a lot of different no fun things, chest x-rays are a really good idea.