- Not a substitute for professional veterinary help.
Some cats slumber silently, while others naturally make some noise during their snooze—just like humans and dogs. Snoring isn’t unusual in cats, and most of the time, those feline rumbles don’t have any major medical cause.
Increased snoring may sometimes suggest an underlying health issue, according to Dr. Patrik Holmboe, head veterinarian at Cooper Pet Care, but medical causes usually also involve additional symptoms and discomfort.
Cats with brachycephalic features—in other words, flat-faced cats like Persian cats, Burmese cats, and British Shorthairs—may be more likely to snore. You may also hear more snoring from your cat as they grow older, or if they’ve gained some weight.
Below, get the details on cat snoring, including its causes and how to identify problematic snoring. We’ll also share some solutions to help you and your cat get a peaceful night’s sleep.
When to See a Vet About Cat Snoring
Dr. Holmboe says cat snoring in itself generally isn’t a cause for concern.
“However, if snoring begins suddenly or is accompanied by other symptoms, then the safest option is to have your cat checked by a veterinarian,” Dr. Holmboe says.
Symptom |
Urgency |
Your cat has always snored | No need for a vet visit. |
Open mouth breathing or panting | Cats may pant due to stress, heat exhaustion, or strenuous exercise. If your cat’s breathing doesn’t normalize after you remove them from a hot or stressful environment, take them to the vet right away. |
Wheezing, rasping, or snorting. | Cats may wheeze, have raspy breath, or snort due to allergies, feline asthma, an obstruction, or another serious condition. Abnormal breathing is always serious, so you’ll want to call your vet immediately. |
Coughing | Cats might cough due to allergies, an upper respiratory infection, or another condition. If your cat’s cough lingers, gets worse, or happens with other changes in behavior, it’s best to make an appointment with your vet. |
Swelling in the face | If your cat’s face or skin seems swollen, you’ll want to take them to the vet immediately. |
Pawing at the face or nose | Pawing at the face or nose usually means your cat is experiencing some discomfort. Your vet can help find the cause. |
Nasal discharge | A runny nose may suggest an upper respiratory infection. If your cat has serious or persistent nasal discharge, it’s wise to make an appointment with your vet as soon as possible. |
Bloody nasal discharge | Call your vet right away. |
How to Tell If Your Cat Is Snoring
Snoring, heavy breathing, and purring all involve different body parts!
These key differences can help you figure out what kind of sound your cat is making.
Type | Body Part Involved | Mechanism Involved | Sound Produced | Associated Behavior or Activity |
Snoring | Nasal cavity or back of the throat | The tissues of the nasal cavity or back of the throat vibrate as your cat inhales.
|
Deep, nasal sound in time with the breath | Typically occurs during deep sleep |
Heavy breathing | Respiratory muscles and lungs | The respiratory muscles have to work harder to deliver air to the lungs. | Louder and labored breathing. May include wheezing, rasping, or snorting sounds. Exaggerated chest wall movement and open mouth breathing or panting. | May occur when your cat is awake or asleep. May suggest illness or stress. |
Purring | Larynx muscles (voice box) and the vocal cords | The larynx muscles contract and relax, which causes tension in the vocal cords. As a cat breathes in and out, the breath vibrates the vocal cords and produces the sound of a purr. | A constant, low vibration. | Expressing happiness or contentment when socializing with other pets or people. May suggest stress or illness if a cat purrs when acting lethargic or hiding. |
What Causes Cat Snoring?
Like people, cats have both rapid eye movement (REM) sleep cycles and deep sleep non-REM (nREM) cycles. They’re more likely to snore during their nREM sleep cycles.
Specific causes of snoring include:
- Brachycephaly: Flat-faced cats have short noses and a narrowed nose opening, which can cause breathing problems known as brachycephalic syndrome. These symptoms, which may get worse for cats who are overweight, include shortness of breath during exercise or hot weather, coughing, tiring easily, and snoring or noisy breathing while asleep.
- Upper respiratory infections: Cats with “kitty colds” and associated congestion can snore, just like you do when you have a cold. They may also sneeze, have a runny nose, and run a fever. Common causes of respiratory symptoms in cats include feline herpesvirus and feline calicivirus.
- Allergies: Your cat may snore if they have an allergy to something, like pollen or dusty litter boxes. Food, environmental, and contact allergies can cause respiratory discomfort, which includes snoring, coughing, and sneezing.
- Something stuck in their nose: Your cat may be snoring because there’s something stuck in their airway, like a blade of cat grass or a piece of fabric.
- Polyps: These non-cancerous growths can develop in a cat’s nose, ear canal, or mouth. Nasal polyps can cause various upper respiratory symptoms, including sneezing, nasal discharge, snoring, reverse sneezing, and breathing difficulties.
- Weight gain: Cats who are overweight or obese are more likely to snore.
- Age: Cats are more likely to snore as they age, Dr. Holmboe says, most likely due to the loosening of tissues in the airways. This produces more of the reverberations that cause the snoring sound, he explains.
- Tumors: A tumor in the nasal passageway or throat can cause snoring in cats, though this is rare.
If your cat has recently started snoring and you’ve also noticed changes in their appetite and behavior, your vet can help pinpoint the cause.
Is Sleep Apnea Making Your Cat Snore?
Sleep apnea is a potentially serious sleeping disorder where breathing frequently stops during sleep. Feline obstructive sleep apnea is a type of sleep apnea in cats caused by an obstruction, like abnormal tissue growth.
This rare condition may cause snoring, but if it becomes a problem, you’ll also notice more severe signs, like your cat waking up suddenly or gasping for air, Dr. Holmboe says.
How to Stop Your Cat’s Snoring
The best way to address cat snoring usually depends on the underlying cause.
Upper respiratory infections
As with human colds, upper respiratory symptoms should improve within a few days. If your cat’s symptoms get worse, it’s best to reach out to your vet for treatment recommendations.
If you have other cats, you’ll want to keep cats with respiratory symptoms away from healthy cats. Feline respiratory infections are contagious between cats, but not between people or dogs.
Allergies
Removing the allergen from your cat’s environment may help, so it may help to start by swapping dusty litter boxes for dust-free litter and reduce your cat’s exposure to outdoor pollen. If your cat’s symptoms don’t improve, your vet can offer more guidance.
Your vet may prescribe cat-friendly antihistamines—never give your cat antihistamines meant for people. If they think your cat may have food allergies, they’ll likely recommend a prescription diet or a food with a different protein.
Foreign object
When your cat can’t sneeze out or otherwise dislodge the irritating object, a veterinarian can remove it safely. It’s best to avoid trying this at home.
Polyps
Your cat will need surgery to remove the polyp. Your vet may also prescribe anti-inflammatory medication to keep the polyp from growing back.
Obesity
A vet can offer more guidance on your cat’s ideal body condition and the best diet for their age and lifestyle. They may also recommend a food with fewer calories or a food designed for weight loss.
You can also encourage your cat to get more activity by playing with them daily and creating an exercise-friendly environment with scratching posts, toys, and cat trees.
Cancer
If your cat has cancer, your vet may recommend surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy, depending on the type and stage of cancer.
What Can You Try At Home to Stop Cat Snoring?
The best and simplest way to reduce feline snoring involves helping your cat maintain a healthy weight. Not sure how much your cat should weigh? Your vet can help determine their ideal weight based on a body condition score assessment.
Running a humidifier can’t hurt, either. Although using a humidifier isn’t a known solution for feline snoring, according to Dr. Holmboe, adding moisture to the air may help improve your cat’s breathing.
At the end of the day, cat snoring usually doesn’t have any serious medical cause. “Unless your cat’s snoring bothers you severely, the best option is to leave it be,” Dr. Holmboe says.