Mary Allen
When a cat snores, it might seem like a cute little quirk at first. However, it can also be a symptom of a disease that, if left untreated, can lead to health problems. If you have the following signs, you should take your velvet paw to the vet.
Apart from the volume, it is often harmless when cats make snoring noises at night or even during the day when they are sleeping. But where does snoring come from anyway? This can have harmless, but also serious causes.
Cat Snores: Harmless Causes Can Be the Reason
The following causes are harmless as long as your cat does not suffer from breathing pauses – so-called sleep apnea – or even shortness of breath when sleeping. If in doubt, you should still consider a vet visit.
- nasal polyps
Nasal polyps, benign tissue growths up to 2.5 centimeters in size, may narrow the airways and cause snoring. A veterinarian must be consulted for a reliable diagnosis of nasal polyps. This puts your cat under anesthesia and examines the mouth, throat, and paranasal sinuses for excess tissue.
Any tissue growths are removed immediately if possible or later as part of a separate polyp operation. Your cat should be in good health prior to the procedure.
- allergies
Allergies can also cause your cat’s airways to narrow, which in turn can lead to snoring noises when breathing or sleeping. Food and other substances such as pollen can trigger such reactions in furry friends. You should clarify with your veterinarian whether this is really the cause and what your cat may be allergic to.
- Deformed airways in pedigree cats
Pedigree cats are often bred for a specific look. This can be accompanied by deformed airways, such as the nose. When breeding Persian cats, for example, the significantly shortened facial skull often causes the cat to snore when breathing. Since snoring is anatomical, it is not usually a cause for concern. It’s just noisy when you sleep.
- Other anatomical causes
Slacking of the soft palate, oversized tonsils, or a small lower jaw in your cat can also be the cause of snoring. But then it should be noisy while sleeping. In this case, it is only loud but harmless.
If the Cat Suddenly Snores: You Should Definitely Go to the Vet
Basically, you should always go to the vet, especially if your cat suddenly starts snoring. Serious illnesses can be behind it.
- infectious diseases
Respiratory infections can cause sudden snoring. It is important to know whether it is just a harmless flu infection, i.e. a cold, or the dangerous cat cold. This is extremely threatening, especially for young animals.
In order to get certainty and the right treatment for your cat, clarification with the veterinarian is absolutely necessary. The cat cold can be triggered by different pathogens, which must be determined for the right therapy.
- Tumor in the respiratory tract
Foreign objects in the nose, throat, or other areas of the airway can cause your cat to make snoring noises or some sort of grunting. Here, too, the following applies if snoring suddenly occurs: off to the vet! If left undetected, a tumor in an advanced stage can become very dangerous and, in the worst case, lead to shortness of breath.
- obesity (obesity)
If your cat is overweight and the airways are being squeezed by the fat deposits, snoring can be one of many symptoms. It is an indication that weight reduction is necessary. This should also be done under veterinary advice.
- sleep apnea
Sleep apnea is a sleep-related breathing disorder that also affects us, two-legged friends. It is characterized by long-lasting or very frequent pauses in breathing during sleep. Eventually, this can lead to significant damage to the cardiovascular system due to repeated undersupply of oxygen and excessive levels of carbon dioxide in the blood.
- Snoring is a sign of trust
In the best case, your cat simply feels comfortable with you. She then lets herself fall asleep so much that she begins to snore. In this case, we congratulate you on having developed an extremely healthy relationship of trust with your cat.