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Why is my cat breathing fast while resting after flea treatment?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

My cat is breathing really fast, but it is also when he is resting. He has not gotten in to anything. He started this after flea treatment.

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Laura E. McRae

Veterinary Technician

Published on February 2nd, 2015

Rapid breathing can be caused by pain, stress, fever or overheating. If you struggled to catch and treat your cat, it is possible that you are seeing a stress response. If this is the case, your cat's breathing should start to slow down and return to normal once the stressor has been removed (i.e. You are no longer restraining your cat). If it doesn't improve or gets worse, your cat may be having an adverse reaction to the flea treatment. Some flea treatments that contain permethrins and pyrethroids are toxic to cats, so check the packaging to see what type of active ingredients were in the flea treatment. If pyrethrins, permethrins, or pyrethroids are the active ingredient in the flea treatment, contact your veterinarian or go to a 24-hour emergency clinic immediately.

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6Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Other Answers

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    Answered By Debi Matlack

    Veterinary Technician

    Published on

    Wash the flea treatment off your cat with dish soap right away and get your cat to an emergency clinic. Take the packaging of the flea treatment with you so they know what substance he was exposed to. It sounds like he is having an adverse reaction to the flea treatment.

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    5Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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