Having a litter of kittens is an exciting time for any cat parent, but it can also be a stressful experience for your feline friend.
One common behavior that cats may exhibit after giving birth is panting. While panting in cats is normal, it can also be a sign of an underlying medical issue or stress.
So, why does your cat keep panting after giving birth? When your cat gives birth, her body goes through a lot of stress.
She experiences pain from contractions and giving birth, and her body produces a lot of hormones. These hormones cause her to lose fluids quickly.
When your cat loses fluids quickly, she suffers from dehydration. Dehydration can cause your cat to pant excessively and have trouble breathing.
Most cats will recover after a few days, but dehydration can be dangerous if not treated quickly. To prevent dehydration, make sure your cat drinks plenty of water.
Why Does Your Cat Keep Panting After Giving Birth?
There are both physiological and psychological reasons why cats may pant after giving birth.
Hormones play a role in post-partum panting as the body’s natural response to labor and delivery can cause the cat to become overheated.
The physical exhaustion that comes with labor and delivery can also lead to panting as cats try to cool themselves down after exertion.
If the birthing process was particularly difficult or prolonged, this could lead to stress, which could cause the cat to start panting as well.
Pain and discomfort from labor or delivery can also lead to panting in cats as they try to cope with their discomfort.
Separation anxiety can also cause a cat to start panting when separated from her kittens for any amount of time, even if only for a few minutes.
This type of anxiety is especially common if the mother cat has been separated from her kittens for veterinary care or other reasons during their first few weeks of life.
Panting as a Sign of Health Issues
It’s important to remember that while post-birth panting is normal, it can also be indicative of an underlying health issue such as infection or dehydration.
If you suspect that there may be an underlying medical issue causing your cat’s panting behavior, it’s important to seek veterinary care right away so that any potential issues can be addressed quickly and appropriately.
Ways To Reduce Post-Birth Panting
There are several ways you can help reduce post-birth panting in your new mother:
Provide a warm environment
Keeping your home at a comfortable temperature will help keep your cat from getting too hot during her recovery period, which could lead to excessive panting as she tries to cool herself down.
Ensure plenty of rest
During recovery, it’s important that your new mother gets plenty of rest so she doesn’t become too exhausted, which could lead to excessive panting due to fatigue or overexertion.
Offer good nutrition
Providing nutritious food will help ensure that she has enough energy to recover without becoming overly fatigued, which could trigger excessive panting behavior in some cases.
Avoid stressful situations
Try not to put too much stress on your new mom by avoiding loud noises or large crowds, which could make her anxious and lead to excessive panting due to stress and anxiety.
Why Mother Cat Panting While Nursing?
Mother cats have adapted a unique way of nursing their babies, which is different from how human mothers do it. Cat mothers tend to pant heavily while nursing, while human mothers tend to breathe out while nursing.
There are two reasons why mother cats pant heavily while nursing:
- Mother cats have poor vision – They cannot see their babies very well when they are nursing. To compensate for this, mother cats pant heavily to make sure their babies get the correct amount of milk. Mother cats pant until their chests get red and swollen, which they normally do when their babies get full.
- Mother cats get anxious – To calm their anxiety, mother cats pant heavily when nursing their babies. When they are anxious, their blood pressure and heart rate increase, which triggers them to pant.
Also Read: Why Does Your Pregnant Cat Pee Everywhere?
Conclusion
Cats give birth easily and quietly.
They don’t have to suffer through painful labor or experience a high mortality rate. However, they do pant after giving birth.
Panting is a way for cats to vent excess heat from the birth process. Cats often pant after giving birth, but this behavior can be alarming to owners who don’t know that it’s normal.
Therefore, it’s crucial to educate people about feline birth practices so that they can better understand how and why their cats pant after giving birth.
