Yet another cat question... panting?

[sumbride]

My cat Jack pants when he's "working out". He's obsessed with his feather wand, which he just found again after I "misplaced" it for a while. When I wave it he jumps in the air repeatedly and then stands there panting, sides heaving, tongue sticking out. I picked him up and his heart was beating FAST. Is this ok? Cause for concern? Is he out of shape? He plays CONSTANTLY... running up and down the stairs, chasing the other cats, playing by himself... he only pants when he's flying through the air chasing "Da Bird". Does he need to see the vet or a personal trainer?

I must admit it is adorable to see his little pink tongue sticking out, but I put the toy down and he tries to take it from me to play more.

 

[CrookedRock]

My cat pants too... I don''t think it is anything to worry about unless he can''t stop. But Mason def does after running around like a wild man, or after he comes back from his walks... Yes he opens the doors and lets himself out for walks on occasion. Unbelievable....

 

[monarch64]

I''ve seen kittens and younger cats do that before when they''re playing hard. I don''t think it''s cause for concern...is your Jack pretty young, Sum?

 

[Haven]

Our cats pant when they''re over-exerted, so it sounds like he''s in the same boat. I''d only be concerned if the panting gets worse rather than better after he rests.

 

[sumbride]

Jack is just about to celebrate his first birthday, so he''s still technically a "kitten".

 

[sumbride]

He does seem to recover pretty quickly once we stop playing, so I guess that means he''s ok. Glad to hear he''s not the only one!

 

[Miranda]

My cat pants toooooo! I thought he was the only one as I''ve had my share of cats throughout my life and NEVER have I seem one pant like Leo. He even runs around with his mouth open panting when he''s first starting to play. It''s our signal that he''s about to get naughty. We especially love it when he starts in at 3 a.m. Our kids have a toy called the fly wheel. It is crack for this cat. He will play fetchwith it until his gums are bleeding and his is completely exhausted. He will be panting so hard that we have to make him stop.

 

[sap483]

Theo also pants after chasing the feather around for a while, especially after several jumps. In fact he''ll lie down for a minute and then resume playing again.

 

[Keepingthefaith21]

Yep both mine pant. One does when he is running around like a mad man and the other reserves it mostly for times of high stress (like trips to the vet). When I was growing up, my longhaired boy would pant during the summer months but a little haircut and dipping his feet in water seemed to cool him right off.

 

[FireGoddess]

Mine will pant after heavy running around and playing, but not for long (just to catch her breath a minute or two). If not preceded by active playing though, cats NEVER pant and it''s cause for concern.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

I find it has a lot to do with a cat''s personality. I have had cats who are hunters at heart and they simply cannot bring themselves to stop trying to catch their "prey" so they keep going until they have to stop and pant. I have had more laid back cats who never pant because catching their prey just isn''t worth that much effort to them. I just turn of the superbug (laser pointer) until my girl stops panting so she has a cnace to recover which she won''t if the toy is there, and then we play again.