TL;DR: A cat breathing over 50 breaths per minute at rest is a life-threatening medical emergency. Seek immediate veterinary care if you notice rapid breathing, open-mouth breathing, or blue-tinged gums.
What is tachypnea in cats?
A breathing rate over 50 breaths per minute in a resting or sleeping cat is medically known as tachypnea. Under normal conditions, a relaxed cat should take between 15 to 30 breaths per minute. When the rate exceeds 50, it signifies that the body is working overtime to compensate for a lack of oxygen or an underlying physiological crisis.
Is rapid breathing in my cat a medical emergency?
- Seek emergency veterinary care immediately if your cat is breathing over 50 times per minute.
- Recognize that rapid breathing is a sign of life-threatening conditions like heart failure, chest fluid, or severe asthma.
- Identify critical red flags including open-mouth breathing, blue-tinged gums, or lethargy.
How can a photo or video help with my cat's veterinary triage?
- Record a short video of your cat's breathing to provide triage professionals with vital visual evidence.
- Allow the veterinary team to observe the 'effort' of breathing, such as abdominal bracing or extended neck posture.
- Help the clinic determine the severity of distress to ensure your cat receives life-saving oxygen therapy immediately upon arrival.
Clinical Context (Merck Veterinary Manual)
Compromised breathing in cats manifests as an increased respiratory rate and effort, followed by a change in respiratory pattern. Cats may sit crouched on all four limbs with the sternum slightly elevated (orthopnea). Obvious labored, open-mouth breathing and cyanosis develop last and indicate significant loss of pulmonary function and impending pulmonary arrest. If cyanosis and decompensation persist or the work of breathing is profound, intubation and positive-pressure manual or mechanical ventilation with 100% oxygen is necessary.
Chapter: Emergency, Respiratory
Source: The Merck Veterinary Manual, 11th Edition (Page 1663)