🫁Trouble breathing

Unlike dogs, open-mouth breathing (panting) in cats is an emergency. It can signal heart disease such as cardiomyopathy, fluid in the lungs (pulmonary edema), or heatstroke. Call a vet right away.

Do this now

1. Step 1Keep the room at a comfortable temperature around 25°C (77°F) to keep your cat calm, and take a 15-second smartphone video of their chest and belly moving as they breathe.
2. Step 2Call your vet or an emergency vet right away. Tell them your cat is panting and give the breathing rate per minute so they can prepare an oxygen chamber.
3. Step 3Gently place your cat into a cat carrier through the top opening so they do not struggle, cool the car, and drive smoothly to the clinic.

0/3 done

Don't do this

• ✕Picking your cat up tightly or holding them on their back while they are struggling to breathe (chest pressure can cause sudden collapse).
• ✕Forcing water into their mouth (it can enter the windpipe and cause aspiration pneumonia).