Why does a cat breathe with its mouth open?

Most cat owners, observing the picture of how a pet breathes with its mouth open, do not even think that this may be a sign of quite serious pathologies. The respiratory organs of cats are arranged in such a way that breathing with an open mouth is unnatural for them, unlike dogs.

If the owner witnessed that his pet opens his mouth while breathing, the condition that caused this behavior, as a rule, represents a serious danger.

In the event that the animal is bought for the soul, and not for breeding, you should pay attention to the breed with good health, which do not have a predisposition to genetic pathologies. You can find them almost everywhere. Most importantly, the pet was initially healthy and did not have genetic defects.

What does it come from?

In order to understand why the cat opens its mouth when breathing, you need to understand the mechanism of this behavior. It should be borne in mind that the opening of the mouth during breathing indicates a lack of oxygen in the animal. The reason for this is hypoxia. The condition is quite dangerous in that the organs and tissues receive less oxygen. This can lead to a rather dangerous consequence and even result in death.

If the respiratory system functions normally, the lungs should be surrounded by a vacuum that ensures their normal functioning. When in the case of mechanical damage or infectious diseases oxygen is in this cavity, the respiratory system cannot function normally. Therefore, the lungs receive less oxygen.

To make up for the lack of air, cats begin to breathe through their mouths. At this time, the abdominal muscles are actively moving, repeating the respiratory actions. If abdominal breathing is present, then it is highly likely that the cause has been found.

You also need to understand that there are causes of breathing with an open mouth, which are not associated with pathologies relating to the health of the cat.Perhaps she is just tired or suffering from intense heat.

If the animal is perfectly healthy, then after a certain period of time it stops breathing with an open mouth. However, it can be a symptom of pathological conditions and diseases of the cardiovascular system. For this reason, if it has been observed that the animal opens its mouth in order to breathe, it is necessary to seek qualified help. This will enable the timely receipt of the necessary assistance, which will prevent serious consequences for the health and life of the animal.

The reasons

In modern veterinary medicine, there are many reasons that can provoke breathing with an open mouth in a cat. These include:

1. Chronic upper respiratory diseases that prevent the cat from breathing normally. This may be the presence of foreign objects in the respiratory tract, boils in the chin area, ulcers on the mucous membranes of the mouth and nasopharynx.
2. A protective reaction to stress and significant physical overload, severe overheating or hypothermia, recent labor in females of the feline family.
3. It can also be a sign of the presence of parasites in the cat's body, the development cycle of which passes through the lungs.
4. Genetic disorders associated with abnormal development of the trachea and cardiovascular system, as well as the chest.

Careful attention to the pet will help to notice the presence of a dangerous symptom for the subsequent adoption of appropriate measures. Disturbance in breathing may appear unexpectedly. In this case, you need to pay attention to what happens before the cat begins to breathe with an open mouth, because there can be quite a lot of reasons for this, and all of them are dangerous.

This can be a symptom of a shock that occurs as a result of poisoning, allergic reactions or injuries. Subsequently, this can lead to severe hypoxia. If medical care is not provided in a timely manner, the pet may die within a few hours. As a rule, the state of shock is treated in a veterinary clinic under inpatient conditions with the use of intravenous infusion of certain drugs. In some cases it goes away on its own, however, to eliminate the risk, it is better to seek help from a doctor.The specialist will be assigned therapeutic therapeutic measures that must be taken as a preventive measure. In addition, any disease is the easiest to cure at the initial stage.

A symptom of an extremely dangerous condition and life-threatening disease may be the presence of dischargeable contents and bad breath. This can occur after poisoning, which is the cause of the disturbance of the normal breathing of the pet.

Diagnostics

To understand why the animal opens its mouth when breathing, it is necessary to watch it closely for several days. This will help the veterinarian determine the exact cause. It should be noted:

1. On the general condition of the cat, appetite, activity, going to the toilet and the consistency of the chair.
2. Whether this condition is accompanied by vomiting or coughing.
3. After which this phenomenon occurs, perhaps it is preceded by active games or other physical activities.
4. How often this happens - constantly or with a certain frequency.

In any case, with this symptom, contacting a veterinary institution is mandatory.An internal examination and anamnesis will be conducted by the doctor, appropriate diagnostic measures will be assigned, which include:

• Blood sampling for general and biochemical analysis.
• X-ray of the chest.
• Electrocardiogram of the heart.
• Ultrasound procedure.
• Diagnosis of infectious diseases.
• Bronchoscopy and rhinoscopy.
• Consultations for the presence of tumors of the respiratory system.

First emergency help

If the owner has witnessed that the animal suffers from heavy and improper breathing, especially if it is lethargic and apathetic, refuses to eat, prefers to rest more - this may indicate that the situation requires the adoption of emergency measures. First you need to find the reason why this happens. You should carefully examine the cat, check whether it has wounds, fractures or other mechanical damage. If this condition is accompanied by vomiting, it is necessary to pay attention to the consistency of vomit and feces, the presence of mucous or blood discharge in them.

Be sure to take into account what the cat ate lately.It happens that a cat swallows certain medications or chemicals that can cause poisoning. The sooner it is determined what exactly caused the intoxication in an animal, the more likely it is to get adequate treatment.

In any situation, the animal should not be disturbed. It is necessary to take measures to limit their use of food and drink, and contact the veterinary clinic. Many veterinary institutions provide free telephone counseling services. Such a consultation can save the cat a life.

How to deliver a pet to a hospital?

If there is a need for contacting a specialized institution, you should follow the rules for transporting an animal. If the pet has no consciousness, then during transportation it should be put on the right side, while stretching the neck and tongue.

If the animal is in a conscious state, it has all the signs of vitality, it must be transported in a special basket or cardboard box, the bottom of which should be covered with something soft. Ideally, the owner must accompany him.

It is worth noting that many modern veterinary clinics are equipped with ambulance services. Therefore, if the state of the pet is extremely difficult, then it is better to use just such a service.

Breathing for a cat through the mouth is not physiological and characteristic. Most often it occurs due to certain pathological conditions that can be quite dangerous and lead to tragic consequences. For this reason, you need to immediately determine why this is happening. Timely, properly rendered assistance will provide an opportunity to preserve health, and sometimes even the pet's life depends on it. A loving owner should understand that not in all cases it is possible to solve the problem on their own, especially in difficult situations. For this reason, the best option is qualified assistance in a veterinary medical institution, in which the cat will have to be transported to a carrying box or in a cardboard box.

If it is not possible to immediately deliver the cat to the clinic for diagnosis, then you can use the advice over the phone.Many modern specialized organizations provide the service of a veterinarian to the house. This makes it possible to provide assistance to animals in the most emergency and unforeseen situations that require the use of emergency measures aimed at rescuing a pet.

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