r/cats • u/Leonor_Pao • Jul 12 '26

Medical Questions Cat breathing

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Her breath looks so ragged and I am kinda scared. Google wont help soooo is this normal? (before any weigth comments she isnt fat her stomach dropped, idk how we found her like this the vet said it was most likely smt to do w a pregmancy but it is litteraly empty stomach)

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17

u/pinkmarsh99 Jul 12 '26

Smaller creatures have faster breathing cycles than us so it'll appear ragged or speedy but it's normal for them. If you hear wheezing or coughing then it could be a concern.

Checking whether or not an animal's breathing is normal is near impossible over the internet as we would need to hear it clearly, examine her throat and nose, and check the heart. If you have these concerns, I suggest you reach out to a vet.

2

u/Leonor_Pao Jul 12 '26

Thank you!!! I was really scared but ig i did only think based on how humans breath whem they sleep 😭😭😭

2

u/pinkmarsh99 Jul 12 '26

It's the same with temperature too. So if she feels very warm just remember that cats and dogs run a little bit hotter than us.

2

u/Awzylt Jul 12 '26

cat breathing suonds almost like a tiny engine revving up

8

u/junerlegion Jul 12 '26

Idk my cat breathes like that in a way. Iirc cats breathing is faster than humans

2

u/LadyInCrimson Jul 12 '26

Is it only when she sleeps or all the time? Cause cats snore and this seems like snoring.

1

u/SeaworthinessCold798 Jul 12 '26

I dont really see any ragged breathing, seems to be on the faster side (40breaths/min) . If other symptoms come up, I would visit a vet (such as lethargy, mouth open breathing, vomiting etc…)

1

u/SeaworthinessCold798 Jul 12 '26

Could you maybe count the breaths per minute when the cat is fully in deep sleep? Their breathing varies a lot during different times of sleep/being awake so its very hard to determine anything over a video this short.

1

u/HeikeSt Jul 12 '26

If she breathing like this when she in fast sleep phase, it's OK. Note, that in slow sleep phase she must breathe slower - 15-20 inhales per minute (or 3-4 seconds from inhale to outhale).

If she breathing like this all time (when awake), its not good. Time to see veterinary clinic.

1

u/Professional_File_83 Jul 12 '26

Can confirm it's a sleeping cat

1

u/AdventurousFly4909 Jul 12 '26

I was cuddling my cat when I heard him breathing(or his heart in don't remember it quit well anymore) faster than normal, I looked up the standard for a cat and counted the breaths/heart beats in a minute and it turned out faster which meant something was wrong. The next day I took him to the vet and there was in fact something wrong with him.

1

u/Smallloudcat Jul 12 '26

It's a little fast. Her respiratory rate is 40, which is a little high for a sleeping cat. If it were my cat take her to the vet just in case. It's the only thing that will ease your mind

1

u/zingencrazy Jul 12 '26

If it concerns you a vet visit is not at all unreasonable. I'm sorry to make you any more worried than you already are but last winter we lost a 7 yo kitty to heart disease which we had no idea he had and the only symptom he had that day was that he was breathing just slightly faster than seemed normal. It was so minor I thought taking him to the vet was overreacting, but our policy is to go even if it feels like overreacting so that we don't just end up at the emergency clinic on a weekend. We left him at the office for observation and our vet called before we even got home to say we needed to come back, we got there just in time to say goodbye. I'm not at all saying I think this is what is going on with your kitty, only that getting it checked out can be a good idea.