[hal1]

I'm talking about real running. Back and forth across the room, or on and off the bed as he chases a long string on a pole (so I only have to stand in one spot,hehe) We'er talking sprints and jumping on and off the bed repeatedly and quicky.

He's like a lab and will keep going, but I can tell that after 3-5 minutes, if I stop, he seems to be breathing hard.

 

[cooncatbob]

Cat's are sprinters, dogs are long distance runners.

 

[Korat]

Not long at all! Not much longer then 5mins anyway.

Its funny though, climbing he does just fine...running, not so much.

 

[Binkers]

How old is the cat? Is he overweight? Do you play "aerobically" every day? Does he stop, lie down and pant after a relatively short time? Like one pass through a 20 ft room? If you think he tires too soon he may need a vet visit. Heart probs in cats can be picked up d/t exercise intolerance just as in humans. GL B

 

[hal1]

How old is the cat? Is he overweight? Do you play "aerobically" every day? Does he stop, lie down and pant after a relatively short time? Like one pass through a 20 ft room? If you think he tires too soon he may need a vet visit. Heart probs in cats can be picked up d/t exercise intolerance just as in humans. GL B

He's 8 months.

Let me clarify, he doesn't tire out and stop. He'll keep going like a Labrador until *I* stop. We're talking 20-30 back and forth passes avross a 20 foot room, chasing/sprinting after a string. But when I stop after 3-5 minutes of very intense chasing on/off the bed, he won't be panting but I see noticeable rise and fall of his chest.

He's ALWAYS ready for more. I was just wondering how much it should take to get him breathing hard.

 

[cooncatbob]

He's 8 months.

Let me clarify, he doesn't tire out and stop. He'll keep going like a Labrador until *I* stop. We're talking 20-30 back and forth passes avross a 20 foot room, chasing/sprinting after a string. But when I stop after 3-5 minutes of very intense chasing on/off the bed, he won't be panting but I see noticeable rise and fall of his chest.

He's ALWAYS ready for more. I was just wondering how much it should take to get him breathing hard.

Since his a growing boy in prime condition he can probably out last you.

 

[Binkers]

I agree. He'll stop when he tires. However after 3-5 min he'll probably be ready to go again. These play/rest periods will freq occur 3-5 times with the play times gradually getting shorter and the recovery times longer until he won't want to play. So have fun!! GL B

 

[yingying]

My cats like to chase each other, dashing from one end of the condo to the other end, including jumping on/off furnitures. They do that for about 5-10 minutes then they have to put a stop. They will pant like dogs for a few seconds, and drink a lot of waters.

If I'm playing a string toy or laser pointer that they have to chase/jump to catch, I think they can last more than 15 minutes. Then they will stop, not because of being tire, but being bored.

 

[RascalDog]

Our cats play chase up and down the stairs and all over the house every morning. This lasts from half an hour to sometimes hours if you include the wrestling matches. The longer play sessions are usually on the weekends when we are home. I think they like to show us what we are missing by leaving them home alone during the week.

 

[rox&boys]

funny i was thinking of posting a question like this recently, both my boys stop to pant fairly quickly.... im pretty sure its because they are sick and cant breathe too well at the moment. Something I will be keeping an eye on though if its an indication of heart problems :/

 

[Carmel]

I've never seen a cat pant or breath heavily in my life... not unless they were very sick.

Both of my cats aren't the run until your drop sort. The most playful Blacky gets it when she walks in my room and ruffles up the rug that I only keep in here because she likes it so much (she'll excitedly scratch it and roll around) ... and Blaze even when he was younger never ran that much, he'd run in short bursts and then stop before it ever got to the point of panting. He's more of a hide and seek sort of cat, and he'll go after a laser but likes to do so in stalking mode.

 

[Violetzephyr]

My Hanx is like your cat. He can go for what feels like forever, though usually around 15-20 minutes I can tell he's done. When we first started playing it was 5-10 minutes, now it is 15-20 and I think he's building stamina! I'm not sure how old he is, according to the shelter he'll be 2 in July.

 

[ronss]

my black bombay female runs like crazy though my apartmet for 3 minutes or so.....i have only seen her once sort of panting, but it was not for long.....she gets my male siames ticked off , and he starts chasing her sometimes. i think this activity is normal for some cats....

 

[rox&boys]

i have a feeling in my case it was because he had a blocked nose and had to breathe through his mouth to get enough air

 

[Kjs]

My 3 can go for anywhere from 30 mins to an hour, but that's because all of them are pretty fit and are generally chasing things out of the barn. After that they drink, flop and pant until they're good to go and it happens all over again.

 

[Goldtanker]

Midnight, the wild cat, roams all night and just comes back here to sleep and eat. He reminds me of the wolf we raised back in the 70's. Wild animals are all about conserving energy - the chase has to result in food or it is wasted.

The wolf (after being confined to a fenced in 1/4 acre) ended up in the house like a dog but never lost her natural instincts. You could be out on the porch with her and say "here Wolfe (yeah, that was her name ) and you could see her look at your hands to see if you had something. If not, she would look at you as if to say, "why should I walk all the way over there?' :razz:

Midnight, the wild cat, seems to have the same instincts and the same regard for wasting energy on the indulgence of humans.

 

[Binkers]

I respectfully have to disagree with AC as overheating is not the only reason for cats to exhibit rapid, shallow, open mouth, breathing (panting). A few years ago a kitten I was fostering had panting within 3-5 min of play with her littermates at the age of 4 wks. I had gotten this litter a 2 days old and there had been no problems. I took her to the vet, who felt like it was probably nothing, but finally agreed to take an x-ray. All her abdominal organs were located in her pericardium (heart sac)with the exception of her colon. This did not allow the heart or lungs to function normally, and she was unable to oxygenate her blood well during periods of increased heart rate. If you think your cat might be tiring to quickly or panting without overheating I would take her in for an evaluation. Let us know how he's doing. GL B