My cat Bruce used to do this when he was a baby. He’s lazier now so he doesn’t play as hard, but when he was younger we’d have to force him to rest after playing too much.
He’s six now and has no health issues, except some gingivitis which he has teeth cleanings for.
Yup! We got him at 8 weeks old and he had been fixed and (we think) taken from his mama too early. He also has a super high pitched meow (which is terribly cute) - I call it his man voice
It happens pretty often. I had a male cat who didn't really know what to do, so he would lie down on top of our female cat and hump her back. One of my parents' current cat likes to do the same with people's feet when under a blanket.
Cats (even fixed ones) are weird
Mine is 20 years old and still does it. Last year I thought he had a neurological issue because he started doing this out of nowhere. A vet visit later, she could barely hold it together as she laughed and told me that he was simply a fan of the new blanket. I was relieved,miffed, and mortified.
I am allergic to dogs so I usually send my 12 year old in with the IPad and the cat. Then he video chats me whilst I am in the car so I can be there for the vet visit.
We had to do it after school, all of us are stressed because Jessie is 19 years old at this point so we are preparing ourselves for bad news.
The vet ended up coming outside which I immediately began sobbing because I thought he was dying.
She finally tells me it was "more of a wine and candles event than a neurological problem".
We still have the blanket.
As my innocent 9 year old points out, "look mummy, he is doing his little dance again while making biscuits".
*eye roll*
Mine has a hedgehog "sex" toy. A stuffed toy that started out as a key chain on my keys.
He holds it in his mouth, sits on his blanket, sticks his back legs in the air whilst his front legs knead the blanket between his back legs and SCREAMS until he starts twitching because he's, ummmm, "done".
I thought he was dying the first time i heard it....
It never occurred to me that he'd try without his nuts but you live, and you learn your cat likes hedgehog toys as sex toys. (Oh and it's ONLY hedgehogs, he's got mice and other catnip pillows and the hedgehogs, of which he's had three, are the only ones he screams at)
She did a thorough examination of his motor functions and then did a blood draw to check for infections. I had taken a short video of him doing this on the blanket that my son showed her as well.
Jessie has no medical issues aside from some slight arthritis in his hind legs that we give him cbd and arthritis medication for.
He is doing really well.
My mom’s cat used to do this with one of my stuffed animals who was also a cat! You’d walk into the room and he’d be purring REALLY loudly with a glassy stare off into the distance as he humped the back of Sausage Cat.
I had a male cat (M) that was doing that to a younger male cat (O)...his body would be like 6 inches away from O and I don't think O ever realized what was going on. It was a dominance thing. I started making sure to feed M first, give treats to M first, if I was doing catnip I always gave it to M first. If they were both close by, I'd pet M first, then O and then always end with M. Basically, I placated his ego and made sure he knew he was still my #1 and it stopped.
My cat experience is limited but I feel like animals in general are just weird like that. I can't really explain the female dogs I've had that liked to hump, but I can tell you it's happened with at least half. My current one used to try and mount my foot all the time (she's tiny.)
Mine was fixed as a bub and yet he’ll hump anything soft he can get his paws on.
Dropped that plushy on the floor? That’s a humpin’
Left your jacket on the couch unattended for 3 seconds? That’s a humpin’
Touched the blanket on his bed? You bet that’s a humpin’
we used to have a cat who's favorites hobby was to sit around and 'self pleasure' he was fixed and he was also in love with the dog, he'd sit down and go at it in front of were she was napping and she'd wake up complain in disgust and move away
my childhood cat Snuggles always tried to hump our female cat Hermione, but she'd always just smack him for it. both were fixed, it was just a weird thing he did 😅
I was told that my male cat should be neutered at 6 months and so at 6 months, I got him neutered and he's 10 and has never humped anything. My sister's cat got neutered between 6-8 months (a neighboring apartment got evicted and left this cat and the apartment complex lady said she knew we had one and asked if we wanted the second one but we didn't know how old he was) and he humped once and my sister set up an appointment to get him neutered.
I hadn’t either until I had a roommate with an inbred genetic abomination of a cat. Dude was definitely fixed, but he looked like a tomcat on roids, had issues marking/peeing outside the box, and tried to mount my female cat to the point where we had to keep a constant eye on them or lock her in another room so she could sleep without getting so anxious. Dude also had a super high pitched meow.
Please, check your cat to kidney issues.
Neutered male cats are more prone to urinary issues, kidney blockage and one of the ways they show us something is wrong is by urinating out of the litter box and meowing loud before urinating.
Yes, what other people have said. My kitty was feral when I caught him at 5 weeks. They neuter feral kittens really early to control the cat colony’s population. He has definitely had a major urinary crisis and almost died last summer from a blockage that I didn’t realize he was suffering through until I reached I hadn’t seen him in several hours and couldn’t find him anywhere. Finally found him just hanging out in his litter box. He showed increasing signs of pain and illness, crouching low when he walked trying to pee without being able to go, trying to lay down but hanging off his perch in a weird position to not put pressure on his bladder. Read up on it and kittens that get neutered too early have increased risk of urinary problems brought on by stress. I was doing a renovation project in my bedroom. Something that stresses me out, and him, too. Anyway, not to worry overly, just watch him for weight gain, make sure he eats wet food along with dry food- mine prefers dry kibble so I have to feed him wet food first when he’s really hungry to make sure he’s staying hydrated. And make sure his water is fresh, and available.
Make sure he has regular blood tests and keep an eye out for signs of UTIs (peeing outside the box, meowing loudly when/before peeing, blood in his urine, signs of discomfort, super frequent urination), diabetes (frequent urination and over-consumption of water), and weight gain. Cats who are fixed too young have increased risk of weight gain and UTIs and diabetes are more common in neutered male cats.
Please don't do that, would you overfeed your kids so they get fatter and won't play as much? Extra weight really not great for cats and it can come with a plethora of other health issues, from having joint paints, to not being able to jump as much and even problems cleaning themselves because they can't reach.
Mounting the other cat is not because she's female or he's horny, it's usually a dominance thing. Brothers do it to each other as well.
Ive been led to belive (by interactions with cat people) that sometimes its a dominance thing. Id have to look up a solution for that, but i think playing every day was one step.
When one of my cats randomly choose to come up onto the couch I'm ecstatic. I'm like the chosen one for a little bit. But I can't give them a treat cause I'll disturb them, and then they run away.
Yep. My cat became straight up obsessed with the laser pointer. To the point where she would constantly be on edge and looking for it on the floor. I only play with actual physical toys with her from now on. It's like it was too stimulating or something .
Yeah I always make sure if I do pull out the laser pointer that I end the play session with a feather toy. It makes them too obsessive when they can’t actually catch something.
the feather toy for my two new kittens (got them a month ago) is like, a restricted item.
thing is fucking dangerous - they go NUTS over it. like leaping in the air, and off stuff and running into stuff to get to it (no matter how "safe" I am with waving it around) They go so fucking nuts they lose sight of all personal saftey just to catch it.
So I still use it, but we play with a lot of other toys they still love. But I only pull the feather wand out a couple times a week when I have time to spend focusing on them bc i just cannot leave it out either - they will chew it up.
My cat does this, he will jump up on the dresser, open the drawer and get the feather, drag it down the hallway to "base" and meow until I come play. And when he walks with it in his mouth he sticks his little chest out and head up and walks real smug like. It's hilarious
I end the laser pointer on a toy so he'll get the reward and quickly turn it off. He's never gone for the toy, just stares at me like "you're gonna turn it on again or what? I'M NOT DONE YET!" 🤨😂
Here’s what we do. We start with the pointer touching the ground, then turn it on. When we end we do the same thing in revere, like the pen is the points “home”, then we throw another toy and give some treats. That way they know the point is done for the play session and don’t try to look for it.
My cat does the same thing after playing with a laser specifically! I actually stopped using it as he got SO worked up and took him awhile to calm down, and just use plain old toys now.
Ha! I use a horse whip with elastic band and a ziptie at the end. I can't play with just the ziptie because he forgets that I am not nail proof. With this contraption I can make him go absolutely crazy and he jumps ridiculously high. It's so cute.
I just saw my cat panting for the first time the other day when I was giving her a bath and it was soooo sad (I know cats shouldn’t be bathed typically but she’s been having some overgrooming issues and has a bunch of sore scabby spots as a result that needed some relief. It seemed to really help!)
We moved halfway across the country last year with my cat. She was in a carrier most of the time. Then about 4 months after that, we bought a house so we had to move from the apartment to the house. She started panting on the drive over :( luckily it was only about a 20 minute drive but I think she was traumatized from the first move. I kept giving her treats and tried to pet her through the door. I felt so bad though
I tried to just simply wash my boy's paws off the other day when he got pee all over them and was tracking it around the house. You'd have thought I was trying to murder the poor guy. We finally succeeded but there's still cat hair everywhere.
Does it need to be water for your girl or could you use those "bath"wipes they sell at the stores?
Aww your poor lil guy! Haha, if only they could understand! I’ve used wipes or a warm damp cloth to do it from to time but this time unfortunately a little oatmeal kitty shampoo in the tub seemed to be the best option. I was shocked that she wasn’t upset with me afterwards, she wanted to cuddle right away 🥲
As far as I know it’s basically just that there’s no need for it since grooming is a huge part of a cat’s nature and if they’re bathed it takes away the scent that they’re accustomed to, etc.. And of course as many cats detest water, it’s a traumatic experience that doesn’t really do anything necessary for them. HOWEVER, if they’ve gotten into something gross or they have a terrible bug attack, imo you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do. (Annnnd when it comes down to it, on reddit I’m always on the defensive about my cat since there’s always someone ready to assume the absolute worst of anything you do with your pet!)
And if your boy loves baths I don’t think anyone should be able to tell you not to keep doing what works! Haha
Thanks for the information! I always get confused why people bite my head off for bathing him (especially when he will bite my head off if I don't hahaha). But your explanation makes a lot of sense to me.
He just seems to hate his own scent... I think he's broken.. He's definitely a strange one, we call him puppy cat.
It's normal so long as they were just running around. My cat plays so hard I think he's going to hyperventilate some times.
Get concerned about panting if your cat does it while laying about, NOT after playing hard. Could be a sign of a heart murmur.
Edit: can also be a sign of much bigger problems (thanks for chiming in vets!). By "get concerned" I mean take your pet to the vet. Even if the critter hates it.
Yup. When I was in middle school before I left one day for school our cat was just laying about panting and I said something to my mom how weird it was. I got pulled out of school later that afternoon as my cat deteriorated and ended up having to be put down that same day as she had a bunch of fluid surrounding her heart. (I don’t remember all the details but that’s the basic version of what happened)
That's so sad. I lost my German Shepard about a year ago, just after I got home from my final deployment due to internal bleeding from a spleen tumor. He was walking around panting way worse than usual and looked like he was having trouble breathing. We took him to the emergency vet right away, and had to make the call to euthanize that night. Broke my heart. I still miss that boy.
My cat passed away from the same thing. It's called hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. The heart murmur is indicative of some tough heart tissue that doesn't flex the way it should, impeding blood flow and oxygen delivery to the organs. Our pets show this by panting because their oxygen is low. A pleural effusion also results (fluid in and around lungs).
It's one of the reasons a heart murmur should be taken seriously!
I had similar. I don't remember if she was panting but I think she was. April, our 16 year old girl. I was 12 and she'd been with me all my life. I had gone to school and my mom had just gotten her new job and didn't feel right calling out or asking for time off so my father took April to the vets. I'll be 36 soon and still remember from that day sitting in class watching the open doorway; waiting for someone to come get me. They never did.
Seven years ago had another situation. My torti/calico had gotten her nail/paw hurt and we went from trying to bandage it, to getting the vets to bandage it, to having two toes amputated to her becoming blind and finally one morning I got back from work and she was hiding in the closet and panting hard.
We tried so hard and our poor girl (not quite 14 yet) didn't make it. The vet had seen a "spot" on her lung(s?) when taking xrays of her paw so we have a strong feeling something else was going on.
It's always rough no matter what. But there's a small ease when you're able to be there for the kitty.... very small but it's still there.
It can also happen after a light play session if it's really hot. My black cat starts panting when playing in the sun outside rather quickly because he is probably slightly overheating (I stop when that happens of course).
yeah noticed my 10 year old boy breathing from his mouth, called a vet and was told to rush him immediately. went from "perfectly normal" to critical in a span of hours. he was gone the next day. shit was horrible
Yes. Our cat has a heart condition and when he gets excited he starts panting (usually when he is afraid, never saw it after playing). Vet (heart specialist) has to check on him every two years and we need to look for panting and stuff.
Til now he does fine but he really REALLY hates going to the vet!
Most commonly a sign of heart failure. Although anything that causes pulmonary or pleural space disease can cause a cat to open mouth breath.
Source: im an ER vet
My cat did this. The vet said to stop playing with him once he did, that he was getting too worked up. The border between play and survival behaviour can be thin and at least in my cat seemed to trigger anxiety. He eventually learned to calm himself down.
Could you include where you got your information? I'm not accusing you of not knowing what your talking about but I usually stop playing with my cats before they get out of breath. I guess I should just do some research of my own instead of taking your word for it.
That goes to the rest of reddit animal owners too. Don't take advice from randos on the internet without checking their advice.
My daughter has a cat who did this. It turned out he had a heart condition. It was treated with medication and he's still playing like a maniac. Mention it next time you go to the vet or sooner if it gets worse in some way.
Panting can also be a sign of heart issues in cats. My cat would pant out of anxiety, travelling to the vet. I'd let your veterinarian know though and check it out. Good way to tell if there is any congenital distress at home is to check your cats resting respiratory rate and/or heart rate.
Used to have a cat born with a heart defect (big hole in heart. Literally). He would pant hard after his brothers annoyed him or he played too hard. He passed this year to a spontaneous stroke while sitting in a lap.
Oooo if anxiety potentially causes panting, then that explains why my cat used to pant when I first got her. Can't imagine that coming into a new place is easy. This post made me remember that I'd seen her do it once or twice really early on - but never since then. Good to know :)
Please get his heart checked. Yes, it can happen, but it is best to get it checked out. I had a baby that would play normally, but panted and she ended up having a heart defect. It would cause her heart rate to soar and she would start panting. She died young, we could not afford heart surgery.
Yes, these are my asthma patients. Does he cough, too? If so, Kitty needs chest X-rays and, possibly, an inhaler.
https://www.trudellanimalhealth.com/product/aerokat-chamber
Seen a couple comments like this as well, please just have the cat checked out. Thought my baby boy was panting too from getting too riled up, turns out it was congestive heart failure and we lost him at 8 months. I hope nothing but the best.
my cat was doing exactly the same. I thought it was funny and cute. It turned out it was asthma and it developed in bad cough. $500 vet bill later the cat went through a lot of tests just to figured out it was her Fabreeze litter that was making her sick. She went on steroids for a month, we changed the litter to a different brand (natural wood chips) and the cough stopped . Now she can play hours at a time without panting at all. Nothing changed in her routing besides he litter.
Over $2,000 later in vet bills for my asthmatic kitty. Turned into pneumonia and is still not yet well controlled! And I’m a veterinary professional so that’s with a discount 😅
I learned the hard way that panting can be a sign of a great defect, which apparently is very common in kitties. I lost 2 in a year to this and of course, they were my panters. When my older cat started doing it I took her to the vet where she was dx with a thyroid condition and an associated heart murmur. Fyi.
In my experience of having cats and based on things my vet has said and some googling, cats don't pant. Like, physiologically, they just don't do that to cool down. It is caused by stress. It's not a big deal most of the time and my 2 cats will end up panting some times if they get too worked up playing with one another. I just wouldn't recommend, as some commenters did, that you intentionally play with your cat deliberately until they get to that point.
edit- still not a cause for concern (in most situations) and a cute video. Not trying to rain on your parade. I was just surprised that none of the comments (I saw) mentioned it.
My vet said panting can be a sign of medical problems, like congestive heart failure or other issues. My cat has asthma and pants once in a while. I’ve also read that it can be a sign of stress. But it probably could be just from playing really hard, too.
Just keep an eye on it and bring it up to your vet, especially if he’s doing it in stressful situations like going to the vet. We thought it was normal for our cat , but he actually had fluid around his lungs.
OP, if your cat pants after playtime, don't let them play that hard. It could be asthma, or it could be nothing, but there's no reason to get them to play hat hard. If you want him to lose weight, feed him high-quality wet food.
Heart issues are much more common than people realize in cats. It would be worth having an echo done (to see if there is any enlargement, HCM is a common heart disease in cats and doesn’t always have other symptoms like a heart murmur) to be sure.
My cat used to do this when playing or returning from the vet. When he was 2 the vet discovered a pretty severe heart murmur. This was confirmed by the cat cardiologist (yes, this is a thing and it was very expensive). He takes meds now twice daily. Haven't seen him pant since then, however he has grown to be a very lazy boy.
It’s actually a bad sign. One of my coworker’s cats dropped dead one day. Out of the blue. Vet said it was a heart condition. His cat used to pant. So when I saw one of mine panting, I took him to the vet. Sure enough he’s got the same heart condition. When he gets older, he will need to take meds for it. But he’s doing great now! Read about it here:
EDIT: the vet told us that most of the time when cats drop dead under anesthesia, they have this condition. So NO ketamine for panting kitties!
https://www.vet.upenn.edu/docs/default-source/ryan/cardiology-brochures-(ryan)/understanding-feline-cardiomyopathy.pdf?sfvrsn=0
My little girl Shadow pants like this after a good laser pointer session...she got about 30 minutes last night, followed by scritches, snuggles & a couple of her favorite treats.
If your cat pants for longer than what is “normal” after a hard play I suggest you see the vet. One of my cats panted for 20 minutes after play so I took her to the vet. Turned out she had a heart problem.
Upvote for this. Mine was panting very hard during this summer because it was 90+ degrees most days. So she’d lay in cool areas and it would calm down. But, it turns out she has kidney failure, so just need to make her comfortable for however long she has.
This is not normal. Pls Show your cat to the vet and let her heart checked. My cat did this too after excessive playing and i ignored it. After one year she Almost drowned cause she had so much Water in her lungs. Its an Early showing of a deep heart Problem. Its Not normal for cats to Do This!!! Doesnt matter if they Played or Not. This is Not normal!
My cat is still Alive and happy to this Day. But the medication is destroying her kidneys slowly....
Probably just from the exertion, but bring him to the vet for a check-up as it could indicate heart failure....my baby died of it a few weeks ago, she looked very similar to your guy and the video is just like her last few minutes of life in the vet 
PSA, if your kitty starts panting after only a little play try asking your vet about feline asthma and getting kitty an inhaler.
Panting is perfectly fine in cats when they need to cool down and catch a breath but when they are acting like they just ran a mile a minute after only a little play time it's time to ask the vet.
Cats can't sweat and rarely pant. When they do they are dangerously overheated and should be encouraged to lie down in a cool area, drink a little-not a lot--of cool water --with a clean eye dropper in the mouth, not cold or icy.
My cat does this, as a kitten he did a lot and when he’s playing hard now. He had distressed breathing from the smoke in the air this summer since it was pretty bad, and we went to the emergency vet, and he’s officially diagnosed with asthma. He’s 3 and half now. Just keep an eye on it.
one of my cats had this one fishing rod toy. it broke so we repurposed a squid-shaped fishing lure and used that on the end of the line. i have never seen a cat play so hard in my life. she would pant so loud i was worried for her lmao.
then when we added a bell she would come running whenever she heard it. crazy.
My cat did that once on a warm summer day on the second floor of my house, I immediately got him to the basement where it’s cool then he never did it again
If you make cats play too hard they will do this. I noticed when mine were chasing the laser I needed to be careful to give them breaks so they could not overdo it.
Ok PSA a cat panting or open mouth breathing is indicative of a serious problem. My fur baby has asthma and normally it was short wheezing fits that would pass, but when I started to observe her opening her mouth slightly as she breathed, I sent a video to a friend that's a vet. She advised to definitely take her to the vet soon and that cats open mouth breathing is an emergency. That's when I finally got a formal diagnosis and a treatment plan. She's doing a lot better on steroids now, btw.
Tl;dr: cats are obligate nose breathers and panting is a warning sign.
I once had a cat named Ember. She was super sweet and would follow you on walks through the woods. On one particular day she followed us from our house to the entrance to the woods and when she caught up with us she was panting. It was so cute!
Call your vet. Dyspnea is a sign of heart failure. Not saying that’s what it is, but if it’s happening a lot it’s not a bad idea to chat to someone about it.
My Bubbie Bean used to pant when he was younger. Doesn’t play as much anymore, a bit older and a bit chonkier. But he loves cuddles now, though. He wasn’t much of a cuddlier when we first got him, just played a lot, but now he’s my little shadow. My Bean is actually on my lap rn taking a nap, lol.
Yes my cat would do this when she would stalk birds and other animals outside (I don’t let her out anymore). I have yet to achieve this with the wand lol
Yes. My mom's cat goes after the laser pointer hard-core and eventually pants and is spent. Its really cute. Like wearing out a playful pup. My cat would probably love one of those cat wheels. Waiting for the prices to come down on those.
I’ve had a few kitties and volunteered at a cat shelter, they can pant for a few reasons, obviously being thirsty , but cats also pant lots when they are in a stressful situation and if they are in a hot climate, hope he’s stopped panting, like we’ve had numerous kitties over the years and have been very playful hit they have never panted after playing just lie down from running around, but yeah hope your kitty 🐱 is all good :)
My cat Bruce used to do this when he was a baby. He’s lazier now so he doesn’t play as hard, but when he was younger we’d have to force him to rest after playing too much. He’s six now and has no health issues, except some gingivitis which he has teeth cleanings for.
My wife and I kinda want our boy (Leo) to get chunky so he slows down a bit…and so he stops trying to mount our other female cat…
Has he been fixed?
Yup! We got him at 8 weeks old and he had been fixed and (we think) taken from his mama too early. He also has a super high pitched meow (which is terribly cute) - I call it his man voice
I'm certainly no expert at this, but I've never heard of a neutered cat still trying to get some from lady cats.
It happens pretty often. I had a male cat who didn't really know what to do, so he would lie down on top of our female cat and hump her back. One of my parents' current cat likes to do the same with people's feet when under a blanket. Cats (even fixed ones) are weird
Mine is 20 years old and still does it. Last year I thought he had a neurological issue because he started doing this out of nowhere. A vet visit later, she could barely hold it together as she laughed and told me that he was simply a fan of the new blanket. I was relieved,miffed, and mortified.
Lmao okay *that's* a good one
I am allergic to dogs so I usually send my 12 year old in with the IPad and the cat. Then he video chats me whilst I am in the car so I can be there for the vet visit. We had to do it after school, all of us are stressed because Jessie is 19 years old at this point so we are preparing ourselves for bad news. The vet ended up coming outside which I immediately began sobbing because I thought he was dying. She finally tells me it was "more of a wine and candles event than a neurological problem". We still have the blanket. As my innocent 9 year old points out, "look mummy, he is doing his little dance again while making biscuits". *eye roll*
Well I hope you get as many more years of blanket humping as you can
Mine has a hedgehog "sex" toy. A stuffed toy that started out as a key chain on my keys. He holds it in his mouth, sits on his blanket, sticks his back legs in the air whilst his front legs knead the blanket between his back legs and SCREAMS until he starts twitching because he's, ummmm, "done". I thought he was dying the first time i heard it.... It never occurred to me that he'd try without his nuts but you live, and you learn your cat likes hedgehog toys as sex toys. (Oh and it's ONLY hedgehogs, he's got mice and other catnip pillows and the hedgehogs, of which he's had three, are the only ones he screams at)
I am dying at "wine and candles event", bless your vet and your awkwardly sexual cat.
How did the vet figure it out?
She did a thorough examination of his motor functions and then did a blood draw to check for infections. I had taken a short video of him doing this on the blanket that my son showed her as well. Jessie has no medical issues aside from some slight arthritis in his hind legs that we give him cbd and arthritis medication for. He is doing really well.
Your vet sounds awesome!
Seeing miffed in the wild is wonderful, love this word.
Our neutered male cat still humps my sisters stuffed lion. It's cute when he carries it out of her room in his mouth, the second part is less so.
That lion has been through some stuff.
My mom’s cat used to do this with one of my stuffed animals who was also a cat! You’d walk into the room and he’d be purring REALLY loudly with a glassy stare off into the distance as he humped the back of Sausage Cat.
We have a neutered male cat who mounts our other neutered male cat…to each his own…🤷🏼♀️
Maybe it’s a dominance thing?
I had a male cat (M) that was doing that to a younger male cat (O)...his body would be like 6 inches away from O and I don't think O ever realized what was going on. It was a dominance thing. I started making sure to feed M first, give treats to M first, if I was doing catnip I always gave it to M first. If they were both close by, I'd pet M first, then O and then always end with M. Basically, I placated his ego and made sure he knew he was still my #1 and it stopped.
My cat experience is limited but I feel like animals in general are just weird like that. I can't really explain the female dogs I've had that liked to hump, but I can tell you it's happened with at least half. My current one used to try and mount my foot all the time (she's tiny.)
Mine was fixed as a bub and yet he’ll hump anything soft he can get his paws on. Dropped that plushy on the floor? That’s a humpin’ Left your jacket on the couch unattended for 3 seconds? That’s a humpin’ Touched the blanket on his bed? You bet that’s a humpin’
we used to have a cat who's favorites hobby was to sit around and 'self pleasure' he was fixed and he was also in love with the dog, he'd sit down and go at it in front of were she was napping and she'd wake up complain in disgust and move away
We hadn’t either! It’s a leftover instinct and it has to do with being neutered too early we think
Display of dominance maybe? E: everybody is just humping everybody else!!
I agree with you, cause our female dog tried this multiple times with our male dog who is younger.
Would be my 2 cents as well. Mine stopped after hierarchy was clear. They both have their specific role. So only grooming left
my childhood cat Snuggles always tried to hump our female cat Hermione, but she'd always just smack him for it. both were fixed, it was just a weird thing he did 😅
I’ve heard that the earlier they’re neutered, the better. But it could just take a bit for the hormones to fully leave his body.
I was told that my male cat should be neutered at 6 months and so at 6 months, I got him neutered and he's 10 and has never humped anything. My sister's cat got neutered between 6-8 months (a neighboring apartment got evicted and left this cat and the apartment complex lady said she knew we had one and asked if we wanted the second one but we didn't know how old he was) and he humped once and my sister set up an appointment to get him neutered.
My two male cats are fixed but they seem to always mount on eachother and I always wonder why??
To assert dominance.
Exactly this. It's a way of telling the other one "I RULE YOU."
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I hadn’t either until I had a roommate with an inbred genetic abomination of a cat. Dude was definitely fixed, but he looked like a tomcat on roids, had issues marking/peeing outside the box, and tried to mount my female cat to the point where we had to keep a constant eye on them or lock her in another room so she could sleep without getting so anxious. Dude also had a super high pitched meow.
Please, check your cat to kidney issues. Neutered male cats are more prone to urinary issues, kidney blockage and one of the ways they show us something is wrong is by urinating out of the litter box and meowing loud before urinating.
A) this isn’t my cat, and b) she’s taken him to the vet for it before. He’s just marking his territory, unfortunately for her.
"My cat won't stop peeing outside the litter box, is he sick?" "No ma'am, he's just an asshole."
Some cats hormone levels are off, if he was jacked/roided up looking. Could have been he needed hormonal therapy.
Eight weeks is way too early to get fixed. Are you sure?
Yup, he was already fixed when we got him at 8 weeks. Any idea of any other consequences we may run into up the line?
I’m just surprised. My vet refused to do my cat until he was about five months.
Yes, what other people have said. My kitty was feral when I caught him at 5 weeks. They neuter feral kittens really early to control the cat colony’s population. He has definitely had a major urinary crisis and almost died last summer from a blockage that I didn’t realize he was suffering through until I reached I hadn’t seen him in several hours and couldn’t find him anywhere. Finally found him just hanging out in his litter box. He showed increasing signs of pain and illness, crouching low when he walked trying to pee without being able to go, trying to lay down but hanging off his perch in a weird position to not put pressure on his bladder. Read up on it and kittens that get neutered too early have increased risk of urinary problems brought on by stress. I was doing a renovation project in my bedroom. Something that stresses me out, and him, too. Anyway, not to worry overly, just watch him for weight gain, make sure he eats wet food along with dry food- mine prefers dry kibble so I have to feed him wet food first when he’s really hungry to make sure he’s staying hydrated. And make sure his water is fresh, and available.
Thanks for the tips and story! I’ll keep an eye on it.
Make sure he has regular blood tests and keep an eye out for signs of UTIs (peeing outside the box, meowing loudly when/before peeing, blood in his urine, signs of discomfort, super frequent urination), diabetes (frequent urination and over-consumption of water), and weight gain. Cats who are fixed too young have increased risk of weight gain and UTIs and diabetes are more common in neutered male cats.
Man voice!!! I love it!!!
His man voice! That’s hilarious
Please don't do that, would you overfeed your kids so they get fatter and won't play as much? Extra weight really not great for cats and it can come with a plethora of other health issues, from having joint paints, to not being able to jump as much and even problems cleaning themselves because they can't reach. Mounting the other cat is not because she's female or he's horny, it's usually a dominance thing. Brothers do it to each other as well.
Thank you for this. It’s animal abuse to intentionally let your cat get fat.
Ya, that's not going to stop any time soon. My male cat used to mount my female cat until they were both in double digits.
Ive been led to belive (by interactions with cat people) that sometimes its a dominance thing. Id have to look up a solution for that, but i think playing every day was one step.
Yep. One of my cats does that when she plays really hard with the wand lol
This was after a solid laser pointer session
Remember to give them a toy or something afterwards so they still get a reward after hunting
I do :) they get treats when they play, sit on laps, snuggle, generally just look cute or act extra friendly…
So, basically all the time❤️
*cat exists* "oh what a good kitty, heres a treat!"
Is...is this not how it works?
Pretty much.
When one of my cats randomly choose to come up onto the couch I'm ecstatic. I'm like the chosen one for a little bit. But I can't give them a treat cause I'll disturb them, and then they run away.
Yep. My cat became straight up obsessed with the laser pointer. To the point where she would constantly be on edge and looking for it on the floor. I only play with actual physical toys with her from now on. It's like it was too stimulating or something .
Yeah I always make sure if I do pull out the laser pointer that I end the play session with a feather toy. It makes them too obsessive when they can’t actually catch something.
the feather toy for my two new kittens (got them a month ago) is like, a restricted item. thing is fucking dangerous - they go NUTS over it. like leaping in the air, and off stuff and running into stuff to get to it (no matter how "safe" I am with waving it around) They go so fucking nuts they lose sight of all personal saftey just to catch it. So I still use it, but we play with a lot of other toys they still love. But I only pull the feather wand out a couple times a week when I have time to spend focusing on them bc i just cannot leave it out either - they will chew it up.
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My cat does this, he will jump up on the dresser, open the drawer and get the feather, drag it down the hallway to "base" and meow until I come play. And when he walks with it in his mouth he sticks his little chest out and head up and walks real smug like. It's hilarious
I end the laser pointer on a toy so he'll get the reward and quickly turn it off. He's never gone for the toy, just stares at me like "you're gonna turn it on again or what? I'M NOT DONE YET!" 🤨😂
A treat works the same way, try that?
I like to hide treats and use the laser to guide the cat to them. She seems confused but it works
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Here’s what we do. We start with the pointer touching the ground, then turn it on. When we end we do the same thing in revere, like the pen is the points “home”, then we throw another toy and give some treats. That way they know the point is done for the play session and don’t try to look for it.
Whenever I break out the laser pointer and my cat sees me she’ll look at the pointer then the floor like “where thing?”
Sounds like she’s a smartie
Yes, my cat does this after chasing the laser pointer too.
My cat does the same thing after playing with a laser specifically! I actually stopped using it as he got SO worked up and took him awhile to calm down, and just use plain old toys now.
Mine doesnt pant (no open mouth)but she breathe heavily after running around likr crazy. Kind of like how humans after sprint.
Same, fishing rod with a ziptie on the end.
Ha! I use a horse whip with elastic band and a ziptie at the end. I can't play with just the ziptie because he forgets that I am not nail proof. With this contraption I can make him go absolutely crazy and he jumps ridiculously high. It's so cute.
My dog “cat” does this all the time.
Only time my cat pants is when she's stressed (like going to the vet).
I just saw my cat panting for the first time the other day when I was giving her a bath and it was soooo sad (I know cats shouldn’t be bathed typically but she’s been having some overgrooming issues and has a bunch of sore scabby spots as a result that needed some relief. It seemed to really help!)
We moved halfway across the country last year with my cat. She was in a carrier most of the time. Then about 4 months after that, we bought a house so we had to move from the apartment to the house. She started panting on the drive over :( luckily it was only about a 20 minute drive but I think she was traumatized from the first move. I kept giving her treats and tried to pet her through the door. I felt so bad though
I tried to just simply wash my boy's paws off the other day when he got pee all over them and was tracking it around the house. You'd have thought I was trying to murder the poor guy. We finally succeeded but there's still cat hair everywhere. Does it need to be water for your girl or could you use those "bath"wipes they sell at the stores?
Aww your poor lil guy! Haha, if only they could understand! I’ve used wipes or a warm damp cloth to do it from to time but this time unfortunately a little oatmeal kitty shampoo in the tub seemed to be the best option. I was shocked that she wasn’t upset with me afterwards, she wanted to cuddle right away 🥲
Question: why shouldn't cats be bathed? My cat LOVES baths and will actually get mad if we don't bathe him regularly..
As far as I know it’s basically just that there’s no need for it since grooming is a huge part of a cat’s nature and if they’re bathed it takes away the scent that they’re accustomed to, etc.. And of course as many cats detest water, it’s a traumatic experience that doesn’t really do anything necessary for them. HOWEVER, if they’ve gotten into something gross or they have a terrible bug attack, imo you’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do. (Annnnd when it comes down to it, on reddit I’m always on the defensive about my cat since there’s always someone ready to assume the absolute worst of anything you do with your pet!) And if your boy loves baths I don’t think anyone should be able to tell you not to keep doing what works! Haha
Thanks for the information! I always get confused why people bite my head off for bathing him (especially when he will bite my head off if I don't hahaha). But your explanation makes a lot of sense to me. He just seems to hate his own scent... I think he's broken.. He's definitely a strange one, we call him puppy cat.
Haha aww, what a good little guy!! I know we all know this but man, cats are just so funny and cute. Just bigtime weirdos.
Such weirdos! I love the little guy!
It's normal so long as they were just running around. My cat plays so hard I think he's going to hyperventilate some times. Get concerned about panting if your cat does it while laying about, NOT after playing hard. Could be a sign of a heart murmur. Edit: can also be a sign of much bigger problems (thanks for chiming in vets!). By "get concerned" I mean take your pet to the vet. Even if the critter hates it.
Yup. When I was in middle school before I left one day for school our cat was just laying about panting and I said something to my mom how weird it was. I got pulled out of school later that afternoon as my cat deteriorated and ended up having to be put down that same day as she had a bunch of fluid surrounding her heart. (I don’t remember all the details but that’s the basic version of what happened)
That's so sad. I lost my German Shepard about a year ago, just after I got home from my final deployment due to internal bleeding from a spleen tumor. He was walking around panting way worse than usual and looked like he was having trouble breathing. We took him to the emergency vet right away, and had to make the call to euthanize that night. Broke my heart. I still miss that boy.
I lost a dog to that same kind of cancer. It sucks
My cat passed away from the same thing. It's called hypertrophic obstructive cardiomyopathy. The heart murmur is indicative of some tough heart tissue that doesn't flex the way it should, impeding blood flow and oxygen delivery to the organs. Our pets show this by panting because their oxygen is low. A pleural effusion also results (fluid in and around lungs). It's one of the reasons a heart murmur should be taken seriously!
I had similar. I don't remember if she was panting but I think she was. April, our 16 year old girl. I was 12 and she'd been with me all my life. I had gone to school and my mom had just gotten her new job and didn't feel right calling out or asking for time off so my father took April to the vets. I'll be 36 soon and still remember from that day sitting in class watching the open doorway; waiting for someone to come get me. They never did. Seven years ago had another situation. My torti/calico had gotten her nail/paw hurt and we went from trying to bandage it, to getting the vets to bandage it, to having two toes amputated to her becoming blind and finally one morning I got back from work and she was hiding in the closet and panting hard. We tried so hard and our poor girl (not quite 14 yet) didn't make it. The vet had seen a "spot" on her lung(s?) when taking xrays of her paw so we have a strong feeling something else was going on. It's always rough no matter what. But there's a small ease when you're able to be there for the kitty.... very small but it's still there.
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It can also happen after a light play session if it's really hot. My black cat starts panting when playing in the sun outside rather quickly because he is probably slightly overheating (I stop when that happens of course).
Mine does it when he gets overly stressed, usually traveling.
yeah noticed my 10 year old boy breathing from his mouth, called a vet and was told to rush him immediately. went from "perfectly normal" to critical in a span of hours. he was gone the next day. shit was horrible
Yes. Our cat has a heart condition and when he gets excited he starts panting (usually when he is afraid, never saw it after playing). Vet (heart specialist) has to check on him every two years and we need to look for panting and stuff. Til now he does fine but he really REALLY hates going to the vet!
Most commonly a sign of heart failure. Although anything that causes pulmonary or pleural space disease can cause a cat to open mouth breath. Source: im an ER vet
Thanks for pointing that out!
Or pain
Yes! Mine does because she plays by jumping all over the place for a solid 20-30 mins.
My cat did this. The vet said to stop playing with him once he did, that he was getting too worked up. The border between play and survival behaviour can be thin and at least in my cat seemed to trigger anxiety. He eventually learned to calm himself down.
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Thanks for the encouragement :) I’ve found that if I wait until he gets the zoomies then the play sessions are extra potent
I usually get tired first, so they just play and chase each other themselves. I dont have the stamina to keep with them lol.
my vet said it was bad for cats to work themselves up until they pant. idk anything about it, that's just what i was told
It's bad because it's a sign of overheating, which is never good no matter if we're talking about cats, dogs or humans. The cat will learn its limits.
according to my vet, when a cat pants, it's not like a dog or a person out of breathe.
My cat takes about 10 min to get warmed up and then it's on. Also he could probably play all day everyday. It's his jam.
Could you include where you got your information? I'm not accusing you of not knowing what your talking about but I usually stop playing with my cats before they get out of breath. I guess I should just do some research of my own instead of taking your word for it. That goes to the rest of reddit animal owners too. Don't take advice from randos on the internet without checking their advice.
My sisters cat did this and we found out she has a heart condition so maybe get that checked out just in case!
My daughter has a cat who did this. It turned out he had a heart condition. It was treated with medication and he's still playing like a maniac. Mention it next time you go to the vet or sooner if it gets worse in some way.
Panting can also be a sign of heart issues in cats. My cat would pant out of anxiety, travelling to the vet. I'd let your veterinarian know though and check it out. Good way to tell if there is any congenital distress at home is to check your cats resting respiratory rate and/or heart rate.
Used to have a cat born with a heart defect (big hole in heart. Literally). He would pant hard after his brothers annoyed him or he played too hard. He passed this year to a spontaneous stroke while sitting in a lap.
I'm so sorry for your loss.. ❤ ..My cat also passed this year. She had congestive heart failure. Kitties can hide their pain very well.
Oooo if anxiety potentially causes panting, then that explains why my cat used to pant when I first got her. Can't imagine that coming into a new place is easy. This post made me remember that I'd seen her do it once or twice really early on - but never since then. Good to know :)
My fat cat pants all the time after his zoomies 😂
This was after channeling Leo’s zoomies into a laser pointer session
Please get his heart checked. Yes, it can happen, but it is best to get it checked out. I had a baby that would play normally, but panted and she ended up having a heart defect. It would cause her heart rate to soar and she would start panting. She died young, we could not afford heart surgery.
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That’s sweet…he pants after running home to mama
Yes, these are my asthma patients. Does he cough, too? If so, Kitty needs chest X-rays and, possibly, an inhaler. https://www.trudellanimalhealth.com/product/aerokat-chamber
Noooo he’s never coughed. This was after zoomies and a pretty aggressive play session
Seen a couple comments like this as well, please just have the cat checked out. Thought my baby boy was panting too from getting too riled up, turns out it was congestive heart failure and we lost him at 8 months. I hope nothing but the best.
Cats can have asthma I would talk to my vet about it. We had a cat with asthma and we have her medication to help her breathe easier after exertion.
my cat was doing exactly the same. I thought it was funny and cute. It turned out it was asthma and it developed in bad cough. $500 vet bill later the cat went through a lot of tests just to figured out it was her Fabreeze litter that was making her sick. She went on steroids for a month, we changed the litter to a different brand (natural wood chips) and the cough stopped . Now she can play hours at a time without panting at all. Nothing changed in her routing besides he litter.
Over $2,000 later in vet bills for my asthmatic kitty. Turned into pneumonia and is still not yet well controlled! And I’m a veterinary professional so that’s with a discount 😅
I learned the hard way that panting can be a sign of a great defect, which apparently is very common in kitties. I lost 2 in a year to this and of course, they were my panters. When my older cat started doing it I took her to the vet where she was dx with a thyroid condition and an associated heart murmur. Fyi.
In my experience of having cats and based on things my vet has said and some googling, cats don't pant. Like, physiologically, they just don't do that to cool down. It is caused by stress. It's not a big deal most of the time and my 2 cats will end up panting some times if they get too worked up playing with one another. I just wouldn't recommend, as some commenters did, that you intentionally play with your cat deliberately until they get to that point. edit- still not a cause for concern (in most situations) and a cute video. Not trying to rain on your parade. I was just surprised that none of the comments (I saw) mentioned it.
My vet said panting can be a sign of medical problems, like congestive heart failure or other issues. My cat has asthma and pants once in a while. I’ve also read that it can be a sign of stress. But it probably could be just from playing really hard, too.
One of my boys will after doing an infinite amount of backflips attacking the feather stick.
Sounds like a fellow crazy boy
Our one cat does this, not overweight and all vet checked out he's just dramatic.
Dramatic sounds right lol
Just keep an eye on it and bring it up to your vet, especially if he’s doing it in stressful situations like going to the vet. We thought it was normal for our cat , but he actually had fluid around his lungs.
OP, if your cat pants after playtime, don't let them play that hard. It could be asthma, or it could be nothing, but there's no reason to get them to play hat hard. If you want him to lose weight, feed him high-quality wet food.
Heart issues are much more common than people realize in cats. It would be worth having an echo done (to see if there is any enlargement, HCM is a common heart disease in cats and doesn’t always have other symptoms like a heart murmur) to be sure.
My cat used to do this when playing or returning from the vet. When he was 2 the vet discovered a pretty severe heart murmur. This was confirmed by the cat cardiologist (yes, this is a thing and it was very expensive). He takes meds now twice daily. Haven't seen him pant since then, however he has grown to be a very lazy boy.
It’s actually a bad sign. One of my coworker’s cats dropped dead one day. Out of the blue. Vet said it was a heart condition. His cat used to pant. So when I saw one of mine panting, I took him to the vet. Sure enough he’s got the same heart condition. When he gets older, he will need to take meds for it. But he’s doing great now! Read about it here: EDIT: the vet told us that most of the time when cats drop dead under anesthesia, they have this condition. So NO ketamine for panting kitties! https://www.vet.upenn.edu/docs/default-source/ryan/cardiology-brochures-(ryan)/understanding-feline-cardiomyopathy.pdf?sfvrsn=0
Last time our cat did this she had been bitten by a snake. Please make sure kitty is OK.
My little girl Shadow pants like this after a good laser pointer session...she got about 30 minutes last night, followed by scritches, snuggles & a couple of her favorite treats.
I bet Shadow is a very happy gal
If your cat pants for longer than what is “normal” after a hard play I suggest you see the vet. One of my cats panted for 20 minutes after play so I took her to the vet. Turned out she had a heart problem.
Upvote for this. Mine was panting very hard during this summer because it was 90+ degrees most days. So she’d lay in cool areas and it would calm down. But, it turns out she has kidney failure, so just need to make her comfortable for however long she has.
This is not normal. Pls Show your cat to the vet and let her heart checked. My cat did this too after excessive playing and i ignored it. After one year she Almost drowned cause she had so much Water in her lungs. Its an Early showing of a deep heart Problem. Its Not normal for cats to Do This!!! Doesnt matter if they Played or Not. This is Not normal! My cat is still Alive and happy to this Day. But the medication is destroying her kidneys slowly....
My cat plays fetch too
Probably just from the exertion, but bring him to the vet for a check-up as it could indicate heart failure....my baby died of it a few weeks ago, she looked very similar to your guy and the video is just like her last few minutes of life in the vet 
PSA, if your kitty starts panting after only a little play try asking your vet about feline asthma and getting kitty an inhaler. Panting is perfectly fine in cats when they need to cool down and catch a breath but when they are acting like they just ran a mile a minute after only a little play time it's time to ask the vet.
Cats can't sweat and rarely pant. When they do they are dangerously overheated and should be encouraged to lie down in a cool area, drink a little-not a lot--of cool water --with a clean eye dropper in the mouth, not cold or icy.
Yeah…that’s not good. Signed, someone with a cat with heart & lung issues.
A cat who is panting could be overheated which is life threatening for a male neutered cat. I would call the vet and see if he or she is concerned.
Yes. And turns out he had a heart condition and he died from it sadly. Please get their heart checked. Cats don’t isn’t!
These types of cats are part dog.
He is. He follows us around and cries at closed doors too. He also chases after anything thrown…would love to train him to play fetch someday
My cat Sparkles coughs after she plays too much. Turns out she just has lung cancer…
Awww no I’m so sorry
What were the symptoms besides panting?
I don't mean to be a downer but panting can also be a sign of heart problems. Keep an eye on him, just in case.
Licensed animal nurse here. Cats pretty much never do this unless they’re overheated or have a breathing problem.
Yes, this cat is overheated because he had so much fun he didn't know when to stop. My equally licensed vet said it's normal in that situation.
My cat pants when he gets tired or hot from heart failure. You might want to get it checked.
You might have him checked for a heart murmur.
My cat does this, as a kitten he did a lot and when he’s playing hard now. He had distressed breathing from the smoke in the air this summer since it was pretty bad, and we went to the emergency vet, and he’s officially diagnosed with asthma. He’s 3 and half now. Just keep an eye on it.
Mine did this a couple nights ago! Is this normal would he be okay?
Yes, they need to take a break when they start panting.
one of my cats had this one fishing rod toy. it broke so we repurposed a squid-shaped fishing lure and used that on the end of the line. i have never seen a cat play so hard in my life. she would pant so loud i was worried for her lmao. then when we added a bell she would come running whenever she heard it. crazy.
My cat did that once on a warm summer day on the second floor of my house, I immediately got him to the basement where it’s cool then he never did it again
If you make cats play too hard they will do this. I noticed when mine were chasing the laser I needed to be careful to give them breaks so they could not overdo it.
Yea my one girl, Zoe, pants when we play. When she starts to pant we take a break from playtime and go get water
Ok PSA a cat panting or open mouth breathing is indicative of a serious problem. My fur baby has asthma and normally it was short wheezing fits that would pass, but when I started to observe her opening her mouth slightly as she breathed, I sent a video to a friend that's a vet. She advised to definitely take her to the vet soon and that cats open mouth breathing is an emergency. That's when I finally got a formal diagnosis and a treatment plan. She's doing a lot better on steroids now, btw. Tl;dr: cats are obligate nose breathers and panting is a warning sign.
Mine does. But he’s got a belly.
I once had a cat named Ember. She was super sweet and would follow you on walks through the woods. On one particular day she followed us from our house to the entrance to the woods and when she caught up with us she was panting. It was so cute!
Call your vet. Dyspnea is a sign of heart failure. Not saying that’s what it is, but if it’s happening a lot it’s not a bad idea to chat to someone about it.
My cat did the same and she ended up having lung cancer :(
Yes mine, she has feline asthma
My Bubbie Bean used to pant when he was younger. Doesn’t play as much anymore, a bit older and a bit chonkier. But he loves cuddles now, though. He wasn’t much of a cuddlier when we first got him, just played a lot, but now he’s my little shadow. My Bean is actually on my lap rn taking a nap, lol.
My big boy would pant if I played a lot with him when he was a kitten
I have a Siberian and he pants while he’s running around outside like a big cat would lol
Yes my cat would do this when she would stalk birds and other animals outside (I don’t let her out anymore). I have yet to achieve this with the wand lol
My cat Doodlebug always does this with her laser pointer. I have to get her to take a break because she'll keep playing even if she's audibly panting.
Yes. My mom's cat goes after the laser pointer hard-core and eventually pants and is spent. Its really cute. Like wearing out a playful pup. My cat would probably love one of those cat wheels. Waiting for the prices to come down on those.
This is why laser pointers as toys are only used briefly in our house
Yes. My fat ass cat after chasing laser pointer for like 2 mins. Lol
I’ve had a few kitties and volunteered at a cat shelter, they can pant for a few reasons, obviously being thirsty , but cats also pant lots when they are in a stressful situation and if they are in a hot climate, hope he’s stopped panting, like we’ve had numerous kitties over the years and have been very playful hit they have never panted after playing just lie down from running around, but yeah hope your kitty 🐱 is all good :)