# Open Mouth Panting After Play



## My_Cat_Smudge (Mar 26, 2017)

So I have a kitten who's probably about five months old, and in perfectly good shape. Today is abnormally hot for my area especially in September, and I was playing wiht him. We were playing chase and after awhile I noticed that when he stopped he was breathing heavily and after a longer look, he was panting exactly like a dog. I looked it up, and I guess it must be normal for a cat to pant after excersize, but I want your guys' opinion.

Another question I have is: Do you guys know of any good ways to help him cool down?

He is right now sitting on the front porch watching things in our front yard, and was just cleaning himself, so I think he's okay.


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## eldercat (Jul 3, 2015)

Hot weather does make a difference, so don't let my story discourage you. Your kitten may only be feeling the heat. 

The cat I had that did this had a bad heart murmur. She lived many years but died suddenly of a heart attack. The vet had suggested keeping her confined, but since she was a *very active* cat that seemed cruel, so I let her run, and she ran through her life at full speed. She was a happy cat, and enjoyed her life. That's enough for me.


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## Kelise (Jun 25, 2017)

I wouldn't worry about it. Cats sweat minimally (nose and paw pads) just like dogs, so when they get too warm, they pant to cool off. Dogs just run around a lot more and tend to be more excitable, so you see more panting.

My female cat pants up a storm when I take her in a carrier to the vet. It's stress.

One of my male cats plays REALLY hard and will lie down and pant for a while after.

I don't think you need to worry about cooling him down. He is doing that himself by panting! It's not a bad thing, in most cases, and is a normal mechanism for cooling. It would only really be concerning if he was panting with no good reason (sitting quietly in a cool room).


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

Panting after exercise is normal especially on a hot day. The panting usually stops after about 10 mins. or so, but if he's still panting after 30 mins. and does it often without too much exertion it may be a heart problem, as another poster suggested. If you're really concerned about cooling him down you could put down a towel that's been dipped in cold water, and well wrung out, and see if he will lie on it. You can also help the cooling by wetting his ears especially and around his face, as a lot of heat is dissipated from the ears. One thing you do need to observe and that is he is not getting "heat exhaustion" or heat stroke. That happened to my Zuba who has sparse coat and was lying in the hot sun.....then he started staggering about and falling over. At first I thought he might be having a heart attack, but having suffered heat exhaustion (first stage of heat stroke) once myself, thought that could be his problem so I took him to our basement and laid him on the cool cement floor and after about 10 mins. or so he got to his feet and was OK. Just something to keep in mind during hot weather, as even here our temps have been hot lately here in my town beside Lake Ontario.


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## My_Cat_Smudge (Mar 26, 2017)

*Thanks All!*

Thank you all for your input! I'm glad to hear that it is definitely a normal thing after exercise, and I am no longer worried.
rcat


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