Do cats snore?
This is one of the most frequently asked questions by cat owners, followed by, “If cats do snore, is cat snoring something to worry about?” Of course, cats are different than humans in many ways so, snoring could mean that’s something off.
However, for most cats, snoring is nothing to worry about.
But, that being said, I will answer the question, “Is cat snoring normal?” in this blog post in as much detail as I can to make sure that you get all the information you need.
So, let’s begin, shall we?
Why Do Cats Snore?
The snoring sound occurs when the passages in your cat’s upper airways, which includes the mouth, throat, and the nose vibrate audibly while she’s breathing in her sleep. These vibrations (and, thus the snoring) occur when the tissues of your cat’s upper airways are relaxed during sleep.
Sounds relaxing, right?
The usual culprits of cat snoring are usually Persians kitties or other flat-faced, short-nosed brachycephalic cat breeds. As these cats are bred to have shorter noses, the tissues present in their upper airways become unnaturally tortuous.
So, when the air moves through your cat’s convoluted tissues, vibrations and snoring occurs.
In some extreme cases, these audible breathing noises even occur while the cat is awake!
How Can Snoring Be a Sign of a Health Problem?
In some cases, snoring may even be a sign of a health condition.
The most common and basic health problem that causes snoring is being obese or overweight. Excess body weight causes your cat to accumulate fat in the tissues that surround the upper airways. This, in turn, triggers snoring.
This is even common in people as well as cats and dogs!
Cats that have developed upper respiratory infections might even start snoring. This audible breathing occurs because of mucus buildup or sinus congestion in your cat’s airway.
Bacterial and viral infections are most common, too.
These infections usually are curable or self-limiting with the help of medication. But, fungal infections are also possible, and they are more serious in terms of symptoms and effects.
Another reason for snoring can be foreign objects like grass blades stuck in the back of your cat’s nose or mouth. They may even trigger coughing along with cat snoring, agitation and other sinus infections.
Finally, tumors or masses in your cat’s upper airways or sinuses can be a reason why your cat is snoring. Cancers such as fibrosarcoma, lymphoma, and adenocarcinoma are usual culprits.
Benign polyps may also occur.
How Do I Know If My Cat Snoring is a Problem or Not?
In this section of the blog post, I will share some some guidelines that will help you determine whether or not your cat snoring means she has a medical problem.
- Light snoring that occurs when your cat is sleeping is not really linked to any respiratory distress. This is stable in nature which means that it doesn’t become more pronounced as time progresses so, it most likely isn’t a problem
- Snoring which becomes progressively louder and is linked to some other symptoms like coughing, sneezing, or changes in the cat’s appetite is probably a sign of illness
- Snoring which takes place in combination with respiratory distress is a medical emergency. Any kind of respiratory distress is always a medical emergency. You need to rush your kitty to a pet emergency center immediately
Whenever you’re in doubt, the best option is to take your cat to the vet and get her checked out.
Usually, the vet prescribes your cat a course of antibiotics which helps with speeding up the cat’s recovery from an upper respiratory infection. Sometimes, an anesthetic evaluation of the back of your cat’s throat might reveal a grass blade which can be easily removed.
In some cases, snoring that even seems to define your cat’s character should and can be stopped.
For all you know, your cat might have a polyp which needs to be removed.
Final Words
While in some cats, snoring is completely normal, it isn’t usually the case for others.
If you have a Persians kitty or other flat-faced, short-nosed brachycephalic cat breed, there is nothing that you should worry about. However, if you have any other breed that’s developed snoring, the best idea is to get it checked out.
There are so many things that cause cats to snore! It may even be a medical emergency.
Do you have questions? If so, leave them in the comments, and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.