TL;DR: Rapid shallow breathing in a resting cat is a life-threatening medical emergency indicating respiratory distress; if your cat takes more than 40 breaths per minute, transport them to an emergency vet immediately.
What is rapid shallow breathing in cats and how can I identify it?
Rapid, shallow breathing (tachypnea) in a resting cat is characterized by quick, short movements of the chest or abdomen that do not seem to involve deep, full breaths. In a healthy cat, resting respiration should be calm and nearly effortless. When it becomes rapid and shallow, it is a sign that the cat's body is struggling to move oxygen into the bloodstream or carbon dioxide out, often due to underlying heart or lung issues.
Is rapid shallow breathing in my cat a medical emergency?
- Urgency Level: High. This is a critical medical emergency that requires immediate intervention.
- Cats are experts at hiding physical distress until they are no longer able to compensate.
- If your cat is breathing more than 30 to 40 times per minute while sleeping or resting, they are in respiratory distress.
- Watch for sides moving dramatically with every breath, which indicates significant labor.
- Transport your cat to the nearest emergency veterinary clinic immediately, as delaying care can lead to respiratory failure.
How can a video of my cat’s breathing help the veterinarian with triage?
- If it is safe to do so without delaying your trip, take a 10-second video of your cat’s breathing.
- A video allows the triage team to see the specific rhythm and effort involved before the physical exam begins.
- It helps veterinarians differentiate between different types of distress, such as abdominal effort versus chest effort.
- If your cat is panicking or filming takes more than a few seconds, skip the video and focus entirely on getting them to the clinic.
Clinical Context (Merck Veterinary Manual)
Compromised breathing in cats manifests with an increased respiratory rate and effort, immediately followed by a change in the respiratory pattern. Cats may sit crouched on all four limbs with the sternum slightly elevated. Obvious labored, open-mouth breathing and changes in mucous membrane color (gray and/or blue [cyanosis]) develop last and indicate significant loss of pulmonary function and impending pulmonary arrest. Pleural space disease causes asynchronous breathing; the chest expands on inspiration as the abdomen is pulled inward, then the chest moves inward on expiration as the abdomen expands. Lung parenchymal disease causes quiet, smooth breathing, with the chest and abdominal wall moving in the same direction. Partial large airway obstruction causes noisy breathing (stridor or stertor), heard without the aid of a stethoscope. Cyanosis and anxiety are often present with loud referred airway sounds heard throughout the thorax on auscultation.
Chapter: Emergency, Respiratory
Source: The Merck Veterinary Manual, 11th Edition (Page 1663)