Cat help

Is he a long-haired cat?

One of my Maine Coons has been a bit like this. Poor thing seemed to be either sprawled on the cool lino of an interior bathroom or 'twitching' on odd places around the house. We captured him yesterday and discovered some of his belly fur had got knotted (which can make it hard for his skin to breathe), I'd assume because he was conserving his saliva rather than washing himself. We combed out the knots (except for a biggish one, which I cut out) and I've left the bathroom tap on at a trickle* for him to drink/ stick his head under. his favourite place to lie today has been in front of a freestanding fan, with his fur blowing in a 'model cat' style ?

*disclaimer- I live in Scotland, no water shortages here.

Thanks for your reply. Hes a short haired cat but it is quite thick. He usually loves playing in water but he cant be bothered moving. He didnt even come running when I offered him some tuna! Im just really worried about his breathing (and lack of noise, hes usually very vocal).

I think I'd be trying to get him to drink something. Would he drink a milk and water mixture or a very weak stock if he won't drink water?

Thanks for your reply Jellicle. He wont drink anything at the moment, he wont move from the sofa. I managed to get some water in him earlier by mixing it with tuna but hes not interested in that anymore. He keeps stretching his back legs out but Im not sure if hes in any pain or if hes just fighting sleep as he usually does.

If he's struggling to breath I'd be calling an emergency vet.

Poor little man. I hope he perks up soon- I know my 2 have been off their food in the hot weather, but it's still worrying when they're out of sorts.

Hope the vet puts your mind at ease x

Aparantly its only an emergancy if he is 'open mouthed breathing for a prolonged time'. I called twice as he was panting when he woke up but as it only lasted a few seconds they wont see him. ?

If he's struggling for breath I'd call the vet again, or an emergency vet.

Will he take an interest in licking an ice cube? We've got a long haired cat and I tried to rub her down with an ice cube (that sounds so wrong ?), she wasn't impressed with that but she did like licking it. It might be a way for him to get some fluid.

I'd try ringing another vets surgery, he sounds quite under the weather really ☹️

May also be worth doing the following two 'tests':

Skin turgor test: To check for dehydration grasp some skin at the base of their neck (the scruff) and gently pull it up. In the hydrated cat, the skin will spring back immediately. In a dehydrated cat, the skin will be slower to retract. The more severe the dehydration the slower the skin will take to retract.

Capillary refill time: This helps you to test your cat's blood circulation & can indicate dehydration, heart failure or shock. To test capillary refill time life your cat's upper lip & press the flat of your finger against the gum tissue. Remove the pressure & you will see a white mark on the gum where your finger was placed. Using a watch with a second hand, time how long it takes for the pink colour to return to the white spot. In the healthy cat it should take around 1 - 2 seconds to return to pink.

He wont lick an ice cube, he thinks they are for kicking! I will offer more water when he wakes up. The vet I spoke to seems to think hes over tired and too hot but would that really cause shallow breathing all day? Hes currently being upside down cat and sleeping with his paws in the air. ?

Bit of an update.

I took him in the hopes we would get seen and they saw us almost straight away. Nothing much wrong, they think he is just uncomfortable because of the heat and a bit constipated so gave him a jab and some antibiotics. Im still worried about the breathing but they said his lungs/heart are fine. So I guess we shall see and if he doesnt improve we will be going back. Poor little man left sweaty paw prints all over the table!