Expert: Becky - 2/14/2007

Question
I have three kittens, all from the same mother. One of them, the only male, makes short puffing sounds when he breathes during deep sleep. It doesn't seem to bother him, and although he is smaller than the other two, it is not by much, and he seems to be keeping up with the others as far as rate of growth. Sometimes I feel like he might sleep more than the others, but I am not sure if that is true or whether I just notice when he is asleep more because of the puffing. I have looked around the internet, and can't seem to find anything about it. Any ideas?

Answer
Hi Kristen!
I don't think this is anything to really worry about. I adopted a feral kitten that had strange breathing also. He was about 6 wks old when I got him.  I was really worried and took him to a Vet. They did x-rays to make sure he was OK since he was a feral kitten, there was no way of knowing what his past was. They thought perhaps he had a broken rib or something. Turns out, he was and is fine. He is now almost a year old and his breathing is normal. I guess he outgrew it.  I really doubt you have anything to be worried about, but keep a close watch on him. Make sure he is eating and generally acting normal. Who knows? He may be dreaming. One of my dogs gets to dreaming and makes some really strange noises when she is in a deep sleep. Who knows?

God Bless,
Becky