Cat Breathing Rate: Normal Range, How to Measure, and Red Flags
Cats are masters at hiding discomfort. By the time a cat shows obvious signs of illness, the problem is often well advanced. That's why monitoring subtle indicators like resting breathing rate is so valuable — it can reveal issues long before your cat starts acting sick.
What Is a Normal Breathing Rate for Cats?
A healthy cat at rest breathes approximately 20 to 30 times per minute. During sleep, some cats breathe as slowly as 15 to 20 times per minute, which is perfectly normal.
Kittens may breathe slightly faster than adult cats, and breathing rate can increase temporarily due to heat, stress, or recent play. The measurement that matters most to veterinarians is the resting or sleeping respiratory rate — counted when your cat is relaxed and undisturbed.
Why Tracking Your Cat's Breathing Rate Is Important
Changes in respiratory rate are one of the earliest detectable signs of several serious feline conditions:
- Feline heart disease (HCM and others). Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is the most common heart disease in cats and can lead to fluid in or around the lungs. An increasing resting respiratory rate is frequently the first clue — often appearing before any outward behavioral changes.
- Asthma. Feline asthma affects a significant number of cats and can cause elevated breathing rates even between visible episodes.
- Pleural effusion. Fluid around the lungs compresses them, forcing the cat to breathe faster to get enough oxygen.
- Pain or stress. Cats in pain may breathe faster while otherwise appearing normal.
- Anemia or infection. Systemic illness can drive respiratory rate up as the body works harder to deliver oxygen.
Veterinary cardiologists routinely ask cat owners to monitor resting respiratory rate at home, especially after a heart disease diagnosis. A consistent upward trend — even from 24 to 32 breaths per minute — can prompt a timely vet visit and earlier intervention.
How to Count Your Cat's Breathing Rate
Cats don't always make this easy. They're small, they curl up, and they don't always cooperate. Here's the best approach:
- Wait until your cat is resting or sleeping. A cat loaf on the couch or a cat stretched out napping is ideal.
- Watch for chest or belly movement. Each rise and fall is one breath. In cats, abdominal movement is often easier to see than chest movement.
- Count for 60 seconds. A full minute gives the most reliable result.
- Write it down. A single number is useful; a trend over days and weeks is powerful.
The challenge: Cats are light sleepers. Getting close enough to count, starting a timer, counting without losing track, and recording the result — often your cat wakes up and walks away before you've finished.
Make It Simple with an App
Breaths Per Minute removes the juggling act. Settle in where you can see your cat breathing, open the app, and tap the screen once each time you see a breath. That's it.
The app calculates the breathing rate as you go, ensures you count for long enough to get an accurate result, and saves every measurement automatically. Over weeks and months, you build a detailed respiratory rate history that can be invaluable if your cat ever develops health issues.
Warning Signs: When Breathing Rate Indicates a Problem
Call your veterinarian if you observe:
- Resting breathing rate consistently above 30 breaths per minute. One reading of 32 might mean nothing. Three days of readings above 30 means something has changed.
- Open-mouth breathing. Cats are obligate nasal breathers. A cat breathing through its mouth at rest is almost always a sign of significant distress and warrants immediate veterinary attention.
- Visible effort when breathing. If your cat's sides are heaving or you notice exaggerated belly movement, the breathing is labored.
- Changes from your cat's personal baseline. If your cat normally rests at 22 breaths per minute and suddenly reads 34 for two consecutive days, that's a meaningful shift — even though 34 is only slightly above the "normal" range.
- Breathing changes paired with other symptoms. Reduced appetite, hiding, lethargy, or coughing alongside elevated breathing rate should prompt a vet call.
Frequently Asked Questions
At rest, 20 to 30 breaths per minute is the normal range for adult cats. During deep sleep, rates as low as 15 can be normal.
Temporary fast breathing after play, in warm weather, or during a stressful event (like a car ride) is expected. Sustained fast breathing at rest — especially above 30 to 40 breaths per minute — may indicate a heart, lung, or systemic issue.
No. Unlike dogs, cats should not breathe through their mouths at rest. Open-mouth breathing in a cat is a sign of respiratory distress and should be treated as urgent.
Purring can make it slightly harder to see breathing movements, but it doesn't change the respiratory rate. Focus on watching the rise and fall of the abdomen.