What this means
A healthy cat's breathing is calm and hardly noticeable: the chest of a sleeping or resting cat rises slowly and evenly. Difficult breathing looks different: the chest and belly heave with each breath, the cat breathes fast even at rest, the elbows are held out, the neck is stretched forward, the nostrils flare, there is a wheeze, or the cat sits or lies with its chest on the floor and cannot settle.
Cats often hide that they are struggling, so when you see such a sign you must not wait to see whether it passes. Difficult breathing can come from problems in the airways, the heart, the chest or the muscles, and some of them get worse within minutes or hours. Only a vet can tell them apart.
On the way to the clinic, touch, hold and disturb your cat as little as possible: stress and pressure can make breathing harder still. Phone the clinic first and say that your cat is struggling to breathe, and later tell the vet when it started and whether there was a cough, a fall, weakness or other changes.
Possible causes
These are things that can cause this sign. It is not a diagnosis, and they are not equally likely for your cat.
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Asthma-like narrowing of the airways
When the small airways become inflamed and narrow, air has trouble getting through. The cat may cough, wheeze and breathe fast or with effort.
About the condition: Feline asthma -
Heart disease
When the heart works poorly, fluid can collect in or around the lungs. Breathing becomes fast and laboured even while the cat rests.
About the condition: Heart disease -
Thickened heart muscle
A heart muscle disease in which the wall thickens can change breathing. The cat may breathe faster or harder, tire quickly and hide.
About the condition: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy -
Fluid or a growth in the chest
Fluid or a mass in the chest, as with lymphoma, presses on the lungs and stops them expanding. Breathing becomes harder, and the cat is often losing weight and eating less as well.
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Muscle weakness from low potassium
When the blood is low in potassium, the muscles used for breathing can weaken too. The cat holds its head low, walks stiffly and struggles to breathe.
About the condition: Hypokalemic polymyopathy -
A chest injury
After a fall, a road accident or another injury, the chest or lungs may be damaged. The cat may look nearly well yet breathe with difficulty.
What else to watch for
These observations help your vet build the picture faster. Note down what you saw and when.
- Whether the chest and belly heave with each breath even at rest
- Whether there is a wheeze, whistle or noisy breathing
- Whether your cat sits with its neck stretched and elbows out or cannot lie down
- Whether there was recently a cough, a fall, an injury or sudden weakness
- Whether it is eating less, hiding or tiring quickly in play
- What colour the gums and tongue are
When to book a routine visit
Difficult breathing is an emergency: go to a vet immediately and do not wait to see whether it passes. Phone the clinic first, and handle your cat as little as possible on the way.
Related conditions
Conditions whose entries mention this sign. The list is somewhere to read on, not a way to reach a diagnosis.
- Feline asthma Breathing A long-lasting inflammation of the small airways in the lungs. When it flares, the airways tighten and fill with mucus, so air moves in and out with difficulty. It matters because an attack can leave a cat struggling to breathe.
- Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) Infections A severe disease that develops when the coronavirus living in cats' guts changes inside a cat's body and starts spreading throughout it. It inflames blood vessels and organs, and fluid can collect in the belly or chest.
- Heart disease Heart A general name for conditions in which the heart can no longer pump blood properly: the heart muscle, the valves or the heart's rhythm can be affected, and some defects are present from birth. In cats heart disease can stay hidden for a long time, so it sometimes comes to light only once it has advanced.
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy Heart A disease of the heart muscle in which the wall of the heart slowly thickens, so the heart fills with blood less easily and pumps it less well. It can go unnoticed for a long time, and the signs sometimes appear only once it has advanced. For cats it matters because it can affect breathing and circulation.
- Hypokalemic polymyopathy Nerves and muscles Muscle weakness that sets in when there is too little potassium in the blood, a mineral the muscles need in order to contract properly. The weakness can come on suddenly and be so severe that the cat cannot lift its head or walk.
- Injuries General health Physical harm to the body: falls from a height, road accidents, bites from other animals, cuts or burns. Even an injury that looks minor can hide damage inside, and cats are very good at hiding pain.
- Lymphoma Cancer A cancer that arises from lymphocytes, the white blood cells that defend the body against disease. Because these cells are found throughout the body, lymphoma can affect the gut, the lymph nodes, the chest, the kidneys or other organs.
- Toxoplasmosis Parasites A disease caused by a single-celled parasite, Toxoplasma. A cat is infected by eating infected prey or raw meat but may show no signs at all, and the parasite matters for people too, especially pregnant women.
Body systems: Breathing Infections Heart Nerves and muscles General health Cancer Parasites