Why does a cat breathe with its mouth open?

Most cat owners, watching a picture of how a pet breathes with an open mouth, do not even think that this can 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 has witnessed that his pet opens his mouth while breathing, then the condition that caused this behavior is usually a serious danger.

In the event that the animal is bought for the soul, and not for breeding, you should pay attention to breeds with good health, which do not have a predisposition to genetic pathologies. You can find them almost everywhere. The most important thing is that the pet was initially healthy and had no genetic defects.

What does this come from?

In order to understand why, when breathing, a cat opens its mouth, you need to understand the mechanism of such behavior. It should be borne in mind that opening 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 lack oxygen. This can lead to a rather dangerous consequence and even end fatally.

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

To make up for air deficiency, cats begin to breathe through their mouths. At this time, the muscles on the abdomen are actively moving, repeating respiratory actions. If abdominal breathing is present, then with a high degree of probability we can say that the cause is found.

It should also be understood that there are causes of open-mouth breathing that are not related to pathologies regarding cat health. Perhaps she is just tired or suffering from extreme heat.

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

Causes

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

1. Chronic diseases of the upper respiratory tract that prevent the cat from breathing normally. This may be the presence of foreign objects in the airways, boils in the chin, 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 birth in women 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.

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

This can be a symptom of a shock condition 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, a shock condition is treated in a veterinary clinic under inpatient conditions using intravenous infusion of certain drugs. In some cases, this goes away on its own, however, to eliminate the risk it is better to seek medical help. The specialist will prescribe therapeutic therapeutic measures that need to be taken for preventive purposes. In addition, any disease is most easily treated at the initial stage.

Symptoms of an extremely dangerous condition and life-threatening illnesses may include the presence of detachable contents and bad breath. This can occur after poisoning, which is the reason for the violation of the normal breathing of the pet.

Diagnostics

To understand why, when breathing, an animal opens its mouth, it is necessary to closely monitor it for several days. This will help the veterinarian determine the exact cause. In this case, you should pay attention to:

1. On the general condition of the cat, appetite, activity, going to the toilet and the consistency of the stool.
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 exertion.
4. How often this happens - constantly or with a certain frequency.

In any case, with this symptom, contacting a veterinary institution is mandatory. The doctor will conduct an internal examination and history taking, appropriate diagnostic measures will be prescribed, which include:

• Blood sampling for general and biochemical analysis.
• Chest x-ray.
• Electrocardiogram of the heart.
• Ultrasonography.
• Diagnosis of infectious diseases.
• Bronchoscopy and rhinoscopy.
• Consultations for the presence of tumor formations of the respiratory system.

First aid

If the owner has witnessed that the animal suffers from heavy and improper breathing, especially if it is lethargic and lethargic, refuses to eat, prefers to relax more - this may indicate that the situation requires emergency measures. First you need to find the reason why this is happening. You should carefully examine the cat, to 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 in them of mucous or blood secretions.

Be sure to consider what the cat has been eating 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 the animal, the more likely it is to receive adequate treatment.

In any situation, the animal should not be very disturbed. It is necessary to take measures to limit their drinking and food, and contact a veterinary clinic. Many veterinarians provide free telephone counseling services. A consultation like this can save a cat's life.

How to deliver a pet to a medical institution?

If there is a need to contact a specialized institution, the rules for transporting the animal should be followed.If the pet does not have consciousness, then during transportation it must 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 vital activity, it must be transported in a special basket or cardboard box, the bottom of which should be lined with something soft. Ideally, the owner should accompany him.

It is worth noting that many modern veterinary clinics are equipped with ambulance services. Therefore, if the condition 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 arises as a result of certain pathological conditions that can be quite dangerous and lead to tragic consequences. For this reason, you must immediately determine why this is happening. Timely, properly provided assistance will make it possible to maintain health, and sometimes even the life of a pet depends on it. A loving owner must understand that not in all cases you can solve the problem yourself, especially in difficult situations. For this reason, the best option is qualified assistance in the conditions of a veterinary medical institution, in which the cat will have to be transported on its own in a carrier or in a cardboard box.

If it is not possible to immediately deliver the cat to the clinic for diagnosis, then you can take advantage of the consultation by telephone. Many modern specialized organizations provide a veterinarian home departure service. This makes it possible to help animals in the most emergency and unforeseen situations that require the application of emergency measures aimed at saving the pet.

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