Audible breathing in a cat?

[eosinophil]

I’ve noticed over a long period of time that one of my cats sometimes makes a little funny sound that I think is with his breathing. It’s kind of like a little grunt or snore. It didn’t seem consistent so I paid little attention to it and figured it was just the way he is. However, over the past month or so it seems to be more of a constant thing and I’m wondering if this is something I should be concerned about? One reason I am asking here is I don’t really trust my local vet. A long story but I believe they tend to order a lot of tests and imaging even though they may not be indicated and quite frankly they may not have enough experience to interpret (really - how many CTs on a cat have they - at most three years out of school - ever seen??) For other than routine care I drive a couple hours to the nearest vet school.

Anyway, he is a feral cat who moved inside a few years ago so I don’t know his history prior to that or his family history. He is probably about seven and other than an episode of urinary obstruction maybe two years ago is healthy and regularly seen at the local vets for his routine care. Tested negative for whatever those chronic infections are that cats get back when he first moved in. He does not go outside. He is not the most energetic boy but has no trouble running around when being chased by the other cats. Goes up and down stairs, onto the bed and everywhere else with no issue. Eats, drinks, uses his litter box like a good boy! He is neutered if that matters. No smoking (by him or any of us!) or anything like that in the environment. He certainly doesn’t seem short of breath or with his chest heaving or panting or anything that I would associate with shortness of breath. The times I hear it are he’s just walking around - not associated with any particular exertion or anything.

Could it be that this is just how he breathes? Should I take him to my local vet or should I drive to the vet school? What sort of conditions would be on the differential diagnosis? Is imaging indicated? I am fine with that but if it is NOT necessary I do not want to subject him to bloodwork / general anesthesia/ medications if this is no big deal.

Thank you!!

[Simkie]

I’d want a vet to take a look, and I’d expect a good exam with a lot of listening to the lungs, a radiograph of the chest, and bloodwork.

If everything there checks out, I’d probably consider it a weird quirk and continue to monitor…

[SmartAlex]

My experience for a benchmark:

My allergy cat snores. And she will suddenly get stuffed up in her sinuses and start that audible breathing thing. Sometimes accompanied by post nasal drip and a few coughs. This does not distress her but it bugs the crap out of me. I have allergies too and I feel bad for her getting a stuffy head.

Took her to the vet Friday and they gave her an anti-biotic in case she was developing a sinus infection. Although her lungs were clear the offered to do a chest X-ray (declined). They could hear a rasp in her throat which they equated with a human scratchy throat.

So, he could have a cold, he could have allergies, he could be developing something more serious. I would also monitor and if anything changes (like increased noise, coughing, sneezing, lethargy) have a check up.

[red_mares]

Is the cat part Siamese?

It might be just how he breathes. I’ve got a couple wheezing meezers. As a breed they are prone to respiratory issues. Three of the 6 I’ve known have either snored, wheezed, coughed or all of the above. There wasn’t much to do about it. Every once in awhile mine get a depo shot. The cat we had as a kid snored for 19 years.

If I didn’t trust my local vet, I’d find another local vet. You can spend a bloody fortune on this, and the answer may well be, the cat just is a little wheezy. That’s exactly what happened to a friend of mine. If the cat is otherwise fine, I wouldn’t get too excited over it, but I’ve lived with it for years.

[Horsegal984]

[QUOTE=red mares;8365295]
If I didn’t trust my local vet, I’d find another local vet. You can spend a bloody fortune on this, and the answer may well be, the cat just is a little wheezy. That’s exactly what happened to a friend of mine. If the cat is otherwise fine, I wouldn’t get too excited over it, but I’ve lived with it for years.[/QUOTE]

It could be something, it could be nothing. This is why it’s important to trust your vet, because cat breathing issues can go from seemingly nothing to emergent in almost no time.

However, it wouldn’t hurt to put him on a lysine supplement like this and see if it helps. It helps them fight off viruses (many of which cause upper respiratory issues) and doesn’t really have side effects.
https://www.google.com/shopping/product/1964929205979200970?q=lysine+for+cats&client=safari&hl=en&prmd=sinv&prds=paur:ClkAsKraX4pitM8GDmXEIcTLFN8bpHZlKsZ2VVvu9uvVJ7cIwnx3rL84-sfD2hScHJFDHeGG5ECbXhVTbhpzXkWzG21gTrrgqGyhyeDP45oJqAAgDHbC2wUAOxIZAFPVH719iq--YrNshBr_dODortrgfROT1w&ved=0CIUBEKYrahUKEwill6Dx5M_IAhXIaD4KHZ1zDMg&ei=FIolVqW9AcjR-QGd57HADA

[sascha]

If he is breathing through his mouth AT ALL when making the noise he needs to see a vet NOW.

If his exercise level has decreased AT ALL during the time he started breathing in this manner he needs to see see vet now.

But really any way you look at it, he’s breathing differently than he used to. If you started making funny noises while breathing I hope you’d see a doctor, therefore, get the kitty a doc visit

[eosinophil]

But really any way you look at it, he’s breathing differently than he used to. If you started making funny noises while breathing I hope you’d see a doctor, therefore, get the kitty a doc visit

Seems kind of obvious when you put it that way! :o
Thanks, all, for the fresh perspective. I’ll take him in to my local vet and see what they say.

[mvp]

FWIW, I had a didn’t-snore, now-does, more-and-more cat. She went to a high-end vet for various other reasons and this vet said she probably had nasal polyps. They were common in my area (lots and lots of grass allergens). The treatment plan was to do nothing.

If your cat’s behavior hasn’t changed and nothing about his breathing noise makes you think he’s running out of oxygen during exercise, I’d think about looking for a new vet whom I trusted. And I’m also assuming, there, that there’s no sign of infection-- no sneezing, coughing or snot to be seen? If all this is true, I wouldn’t consider snoring noise alone an emergency/should be seen this week thing.

[sascha]

Mostly I’d agree with mvp, except it can be a symptom of an enlarged heart, or other heart disease. Having btdt, I’d get kitty checked asap almost as much to put my mind at ease (because there are drugs now that can help with some heart stuff and I’d hate not to start them in good time ) as for kitty’s well-being.

[dalpal]

Can anyone in NC/SC help this really sweet Bully Girl in Cumberland Co Pound?

We were pulling a senior hound last Friday night when I saw this sweet girl. She’s a 1 year old Pitbull who seems to have the absolute best temperament. There are several videos of her on this FB page link. The volunteers are desperately trying to get her out of there before her time is up. If you can help or know someone who can, please share. I’ve sent this to every rescue group that I can think of. There seems to be a lot of tire kicking, but no one has stepped up to actually adopt/rescue her. Location is Fayetteville NC right off of I95. Name is Calin
https://www.facebook.com/CCACanimalfriends

[jen-s]

[QUOTE=dalpal;8366044]
We were pulling a senior hound last Friday night when I saw this sweet girl. She’s a 1 year old Pitbull who seems to have the absolute best temperament. There are several videos of her on this FB page link. The volunteers are desperately trying to get her out of there before her time is up. If you can help or know someone who can, please share. I’ve sent this to every rescue group that I can think of. There seems to be a lot of tire kicking, but no one has stepped up to actually adopt/rescue her. Location is Fayetteville NC right off of I95. Name is Calin
https://www.facebook.com/CCACanimalfriends[/QUOTE]

I’m betting you meant to post that on a different thread. But since I’m only 90 mins away, I’m happy to share on FB. Maybe also post in the Giveaways forum? She looks like a sweetie. I’d be very tempted if my inn wasn’t overfull.

[vxf111]

I have a cat, Crosby, who is a roarer (left recurrent laryngeal hemiplegia), same condition as in horses only cat vets have no idea what you mean when you say “roaring.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0FTL2T-4QI

He also had a polyp, which was removed several years ago. And was recently diagnosed with what appears to be mild hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. None of that seems to be directly related to his breathing. He’s doing fine, 11 years old and been making this noise forever.

I had another cat, Tut, who suddenly developed breathing issues. We rushed him to the vet and he was found to have metasticized cancer throughout his lungs. He had to be put to sleep. But he always breathed normally and what you see in this video was a sudden change…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaFQuFmTeO8

I think you can see clearly the difference between the two videos is that Crosby is making a noise but not laboring to breathe and Tut is laboring.

[mvp]

[QUOTE=vxf111;8366185]

I think you can see clearly the difference between the two videos is that Crosby is making a noise but not laboring to breathe and Tut is laboring.[/QUOTE]

The look of the way Tut was breathing is the first thing that struck me. I’m so sorry he was mortally sick! It’s funny how you don’t think you have a “base-line image for cat breathing”… until you see Not Normal and it stands out.

[FineAlready]

My cat Leon had some breathing problems throughout his life due to feline herpes virus. A little snoring here and there, some sneezing, etc. At one point, his breathing seemed to change and get a bit worse. Took him to the vet and put him on antibiotics. It didn’t get much better, so tried a different antibiotic. Eventually, he developed a visible mass in his throat. He had high grade lymphoma (cancer), which ultimately killed him.

My cat Larry snores a bit and occasionally is a bit of a noisy breather. His nose also drips a lot when he gets really relaxed/comfortable. I’m not sure what is up with him, but he’s done this since I got him in April. He’s been seen by a vet three times since I’ve had him (yeast infection in ears, then an infected eye, then a reaction to the antibiotic for the eye…he was a stray), and the vet hasn’t commented or seemed concerned. I’ll probably ask about it specifically at his next check up. I suspect he has herpes virus. I have him on lysine twice a day, which seems to help.

[vxf111]

I can’t even watch the video, I miss Tutty so much, but I posted in case it may be of use to others.

[eosinophil]

Sorry for you loss, vxf111 and thank you for posting the videos. Gilly (aka Gilly Bear or formally gilbert pronounced with a bad french accent) is much, much closer to Crosby but a bit more guttural rather than sounding (adorably!) like a cricket. He absolutely has no difficulty breathing. This is certainly not a rapid thing - he’s always done it, I just wonder if I’m hearing it a bit more now than in years past.

I don’t think he has any Siamese in him, at least he doesn’t look, sound or act the way I think of a Siamese cat being. Also, I assume he came from the cat colony down the road which is a pile of DSH and DLH. (in fact a pile - there is usually a pile of gray / orange / white / black kitties sitting by the garage.)

I will see what the vets say when he goes in.
Thanks again!