Time sensitive cat question

skittledoo

Crazy naked dog lady
Joined
Sep 27, 2007
Messages
13,667
Likes
5
Points
38
Age
37
Location
Fredericksburg
#1
Ok... So I'm sure majority of you know that I'm planning to fly Whiskey back tomorrow.

He had his pre-flight health inspection last night and was given the ok to fly and is supposed to fly out tomorrow morning.

Lauren noticed he started breathing oddly last night though. His chest was rising and falling more rapidly. She said he doesn't seem to be uncomfortable and is eating and using the litterbox just fine. Nothing else seems odd, just the all of a sudden weird breathing.

When he was little I found out he does have a heart murmor. The vet said it is super small though and nothing to worry about though they do want to check it periodically. They didn't mention anything being odd when the vet checked him last night and when the receptionist called me to get my payment information she said he did well and that the vet said he is a really healthy cat.

So I'm wondering if this weird breathing could be heart murmor related? Or... Could it be that maybe he was stressed out from going to the vet? Lauren also mentioned that he managed to get himself stuck in a plastic bag this morning and then ran around and the dogs chased him.

She is going to check on him when she gets home and we will go from there, but wondering what could be going on with him. Does it seem like stress just making his heart pump harder causing him to breathe harder maybe?

Like I said, other than that he is acting normal... Well normal for Whiskey. Chazzers that have met him know what I mean lol. But ya he is eating fine, going potty fine, nothing else out of the ordinary and this started sometime after his vet appointment which is why I wonder if it's stress related.
 

CharlieDog

Rude and Not Ginger
Joined
Jan 31, 2008
Messages
9,419
Likes
0
Points
0
Location
Georgia
#2
If he went back to breathing normally, I would guess it was a stress thing. I've got a small heart murmur myself, and really, the only time the doctors worry about it is if I'm going under anesthesia. I think he'd probably be fine to fly, but of course, that's yours and Laurens call. If either one of you think he's sick, you might want to postpone. Conversely, if you think he's sick, you might want to get him ASAP. It depends on both of your situations.
 

stardogs

Behavior Nerd
Joined
Jun 13, 2009
Messages
4,925
Likes
0
Points
0
Location
NC
#3
Can you call the clinic who checked him over and ask to see if the vet noticed any heart murmur on his exam? They can grow out of them AND it would help you put your mind at ease I bet!

It does sound stress related to me - I know you won't be able to safely medicate for stress while flying, but maybe something like Feliway sprayed in his crate might help?
 

SpringerLover

Active Member
Joined
Nov 22, 2006
Messages
3,415
Likes
0
Points
36
Location
B-ville
#4
It was almost like reverse sneeze breathing... without the reverse sneeze. His lungs would rise and his belly would fall (and then reverse), but he wasn't open mouth panting.

And throughout it all, he was his normal self. We kept touching him and he kept going, "WTF!"
 

Kilter

New Member
Joined
Jul 4, 2012
Messages
536
Likes
0
Points
0
#5
Kitty Asthma?

Our cat makes a wheezing noise from time to time, it is normal for her though.

I would think if the heart was bad enough to affect breathing, the vet would have noticed for sure. Likely just stressed out a bit.
 

skittledoo

Crazy naked dog lady
Joined
Sep 27, 2007
Messages
13,667
Likes
5
Points
38
Age
37
Location
Fredericksburg
#6
Thanks so much. After reading this thread and talking to Lauren I'm going to go ahead and still fly him tomorrow. She doesn't seem to think it is so serious especially since he is otherwise acting normal. If it continues once he gets here I'll have him checked out by my vet out here, but it doesn't seem to be anything major.
 

skittledoo

Crazy naked dog lady
Joined
Sep 27, 2007
Messages
13,667
Likes
5
Points
38
Age
37
Location
Fredericksburg
#7
Whiskey is back in VA with me and was nervous at first, but has been super snuggly with both myself and Josh today. There was lots of face to face rubbing hahaha.

But... I think I definitely see what Lauren was talking about with his stomach. It does seem to be rising and falling weird almost like he is breathing really fast and hard. His mouth isn't open when he is doing this and it's super fast even when he is relaxed and/or sleeping.

It very well could just be stress related since he has had a crazy few days, but I'm a little concerned and I'm going to take him to the vet just to be on the safe side. Josh NEVER recommends I take the animals to the vet because of the cost (penny pincher), but even tonight he said he would rather me get him to the vet as soon as possible just to play it safe and make sure nothing is wrong with him.

He has hardly eaten anything since he's been here. He's 10 lbs and from what I read he should be eating approximately 3.5-4oz raw at least a day. He has maybe eaten an oz if that plus a tiny piece of chicken from my plate tonight and he has been back since Friday. That could be stress too though, but I'm hoping it's not because of something more. He is usually a total foodie so him not eating much is definitely off for him.

My vet is open on Sundays though not for an entire day so not sure if they will have any slots tomorrow, but I'm going to call in the morning to see if I can get him in to be seen.

I did try to get video with my phone of his breathing...

[YOUTUBE]<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tFFZtI05Qv8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>[/YOUTUBE]

And because I can never seem to get any videos to post on Chaz here is the link as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFFZtI05Qv8&list=UUivDfVVknpq7yuFg117g35w&index=1
 

Members online

No members online now.
Top