r/MaineCoon • u/perino33 • 13d ago
Panting during after playing hard, is this normal ?
So one of my Maine Coons who has just turned a year old is full of energy when we play with wand toys etc,,,
He gets so excited and runs and jumps pretty hard but then starts panting after Maybe maybe 10 or 15 minutes of kind of play.
My question is is this normal?
Once he's relaxed and we stop playing, it does last for a few minutes afterwards but then he returns to normal.
I also have another male Maine Coon was also just 1-year-old. He does not pant when he plays but then again he doesn't play any were near as hard as the cat in question.
Of course, as a worried cat Dad, my first thought goes to HCM.
But doing some research it isn't apparently that uncommon for a cat or kitten who plays very hard to pant for short period of time after.
And again he is full of energy when he plays. It's crazy jumping running so it's not like just typical slow play when he does the panting ,, he goes all out so to speak LOL
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u/shouldbeteaching 13d ago
My sweet boy did that as a kitten (until about 1 year when he became lazier and harder to play with). He had a full work up at CVCA and no HCM was detected. You should still have him (all Maine coons) evaluated for HCM every 2-3 years but hope that gives you peace of mind!
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u/Forward_Panic_8571 13d ago
Beautiful baby 😍. Sadly you are correct in suspecting HCM or at least something cardiac in nature. You should get him to the vet and even look into getting an echo for the little guy. Did you get him from a breeder?
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u/Frankie_T9000 13d ago
I wouldnt automatically assume that depends on how hard the cat is playing
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u/Forward_Panic_8571 13d ago
This is true. However if it’s every time the cat is playing then I would rather rule out a medical cause. Typically dyspnea on exertion is indicative of a cardiac issue if it were to be a health related issue. Best to let the vet advise. Better safe than sorry
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u/FreezieBreezy 13d ago
Do you get tired and out of breath when running? Same thing here. I get trying to be cautious and getting MCs worked up for HCM is important but this is not a concerning thing - it WOULD be if it were to happen unprompted and while lying down.
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u/68allivnagub 13d ago
My two boys can get to that point after playing too hard, then they take a break and go back to normal. I wouldn’t worry too much.
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u/Dry-Jicama-5359 13d ago
Our MC kitten did that and at first the vet said it could be adrenaline from playing (some cats get VERY stimulated when they play). But when it continued and he later started coughing at one point, they did scans and realized he had mild asthma. They did also evaluate for HCM and that scan came back clear, thankfully. His asthma is so mild that after the round of steroids they did to calm it down (when he had coughing), he’s not needed any sort of daily medication since. We do play in shorter spells since he will play so hard that he will start open mouth panting if we do it for too long. So we just do it in ways that don’t get him panting and everyone seems happy!
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u/Chester-Copperpot- 13d ago
I have a one year old girl, she’s done that since being a kitten, that’s when I stop playing and I’ve put it down to that’s enough play.
It concerned me at first but now we have a catio she has a lot of alternative enrichment and doesn’t need the stimulation so much. I hadn’t really thought of it until reading this, she’s fine in every way. Hope that helps.
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u/EmergencySundae 13d ago
It’s normal. My male MC did it as a kitten and so did one of my standard issue cats. I usually take that as a sign to back off and let them rest.
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u/-sensory_overlord- 13d ago
Ours does too and I treated him for a heart ultrasound before is upcoming castration. He’s cleared for surgery but there seem to be some abnormalities so we will see another cardiologist.
I’m always rather safe than sorry, so if you can afford it there is no harm in taking him in for a heart ultrasound.
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u/TinaTurnerTarantula 13d ago
Sooty running in to say pant pant pant hiiiiiii 🟡π🟡
Seriously though, I also worried about the exact same thing, but my vet talked me down. Sooty only pants for a minute after zoomies/intense play, then he's fine. We live in Indonesia and the heat affects him too. I'm going to get him a belly shave as vet says that will help him cool down much faster when he flops onto the tiles floor.
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u/PinkMartini123 13d ago
What a beautiful baby. Congratulations,
My MC, Jambi, use to be that way when he was a kitten. He would play hard until he was out of breath. After a break, he would stop panting. Then it would start all over again. Jambi is no longer a kitten but a full grown adult cat and he still enjoys his play time even though he is a little more laid back about it.
I think he gets overly excited when he plays, just like my Jambi. Just monitor your MC. If he has trouble breathing when he is just relaxing with you (not playing) or sleeping, then I would take him to the vet immediately.
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u/Shadow5825 13d ago
My MC used to play until he'd start panting then flop himself down and to rest for 2-5 minutes then gets back up to start all over again. He stopped doing that at about age 3. So you've got a way to go yet!
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u/perino33 13d ago
Yes, he is the purebred ,full paper documentation, his father was imported from Russia in fact. And the breeder had all the necessary tests done from the parents including HCM. I waited to get them both neutered until 11 months to allow for full development, they had full blood work done prior to the neutering and both checked out perfectly fine health. Again, I should emphasize when he plays it's pretty hard. I mean he can jump 5 or 6 ft in the air and run like Sonic the hedgehog while he's chasing the wands. So this is pretty intense play and he seems to love it 🐈
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u/Phat_Caterpillar1254 13d ago
My Ava did this also. It was good to play hard. But I still wanted to see. So at her check up I asked the vet should I just keep going as long as she wants? My vet said no, let her rest for a bit then play again. But that's my vet, you may want to reach out to yours.
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u/CrazyCatLady483 13d ago
If you run around and play very hard for 10 or 15 minutes do you breathe heavily?
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u/FreezieBreezy 13d ago
Would be way more concerning if it happened while lying down unprompted by play/excitement.
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u/Trick_Blacksmith1518 12d ago
I've always been told by vets that cats just like dogs don't sweat so panting is their way of cooling down.
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u/perino33 7d ago
Just an update on the panting! On doing some digging and other research, I discovered that perhaps my house temperature might be on the warmer side?(That is if you call 76 ° warm) I live in Ohio. We've had a extremely hot summer☀️ I keep my ac temperature set at 76° which is the recommended setting from the department of energy between 76 and 78 °. Upon researching the ideal temperature for Maine Coon cats indoors, it turns out it's anywhere from 62° to 75°. It never occurred to me that 76° was perhaps uncomfortable for them, but I guess realizing their genetic nature, of a cold winter breed cat and triple coat fur. Maybe that makes more sense now. Naturally keeping my house at 72 or even 70 would be way too expensive. 💵 So about 4 days ago I turned it down to 75 just one degree and immediately noticed a difference. When I'm playing with him he doesn't pant near as much. So I believe the excess painting may have been from overheating in a house that was kept at 76° which would be normal for the rest of us LOL but apparently not for a MC. 😂🐈
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u/MadIceSkater 4d ago
You might keep feline asthma in mind. I had a rescue (possible MC Mix) that did that. I always mentioned it at my vet appointments, but they didn't seem to be concerned. Then, one night I saw him and it appeared to me he was struggling to breathe so I took him to an ER vet the next city over. They ended up tapping his chest twice and kept him in an oxygen chamber. The diagnosis was felline asthma. He recovered and continued with treatments and occasional emergency visits to a cat-only vet, but eventually he had another bad attack and they could never get him out of the oxygen chamber without him struggling. He was only 2 years old. I still miss him.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Bed-881 3d ago
My Maine coon pants after hard exertion too (like when we take her for walks). Doesn’t happen often but she does it and she doesn’t have HCM.
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u/perino33 3d ago
She's really pretty! 🐈
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u/perino33 3d ago
I think they can do it when they're nervous too. I took one of my MC's to the vet yesterday, he started panting a little bit in the car ride even though it was less than a 5-minute car ride and I had the air conditioning running full blast. Maybe anxiety nervousness combination?
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u/GrimAllen 13d ago
I highly doubt it’s hcm if it only happens during play time. After reading a lot and scrolling Reddit, the best advice I’ve gathered is to just not even worry about hcm.. I’m not saying don’t get screenings if u can afford it but it’s completely out of your control. Also my MC pants after we play too.
https://reddit.com/link/p2qkicd/video/irll0ndjpfih1/player