Why Does My Cat Snore? When It's Normal and When to Worry

Snoring that’s usually nothing to worry about

When a cat falls into deep sleep, the muscles of the throat and the soft palate relax. The airway narrows a little, and air moving past that loose tissue makes it vibrate. That vibration is the snore. It is the same thing that happens in people, and it often comes and goes as the cat shifts position.

Snoring is usually fine when it fits this pattern:

• It only happens during sleep, and stops when the cat wakes.
• It changes or stops when the cat shifts position.
• Your cat has always done it, and it hasn’t changed.
• Breathing looks easy, and everything else is normal: eating, playing, grooming, no nasal discharge.

Flat-faced breeds such as Persians, Exotic Shorthairs, and Himalayans are a special case. Their shortened faces squeeze the same airway into less space, and the nostrils are often narrow. That is why they snore more than most cats. When narrow nostrils are widened with surgery, snoring and open-mouth breathing both drop, so in these breeds loud snoring usually means the airway really is tight.

If your flat-faced cat snores loudly most nights, mention it at the next vet visit. Open-mouth breathing at rest can’t wait. That is an emergency.

Breathing noises that need a vet now

At the clinic where I work, breathing is one of the things we look at in a first assessment of any cat. When I see a cat already panting with its mouth open, I usually call the vet over right away, and the vet decides whether it needs to go into an oxygen cage first.

Snoring, wheezing, or whistling: telling the sounds apart

The kind of sound, and whether it happens on the breath in or the breath out, gives your vet a first clue about where in the airway the problem is. Describing it, or better, recording it, helps them start in the right place.

A coughing cat can look like a cat trying to bring up a hairball: body crouched low, neck stretched forward, gagging. If your cat does this often and never actually produces a hairball, film it and show your vet.

One mouth noise gets mistaken for a breathing problem: teeth chattering or jaw trembling, especially while eating. That usually points to a painful tooth, which the dental health guide covers.

Why a cat starts snoring

When a cat who never snored starts, or the snoring changes, the signs that come with it help narrow down the cause.

Snoring with a runny nose and sneezing. Upper respiratory infection (“cat flu”) is the common reason a cat sounds congested for a week or two. The noise usually eases as the congestion clears. Some cats are left with long-term inflammation of the nose, called chronic rhinitis, and keep snuffling for months. It is the most common finding when vets biopsy a cat’s nose. The sneezing guide covers this group in detail.

Sudden snoring with sneezing fits or pawing at the face. Something may be stuck in the nose or the back of the throat, such as a blade of grass. This tends to start abruptly and often affects one side.

Snoring in a young cat that doesn’t go away. Nasopharyngeal polyps are benign growths that sit behind the nose and block airflow. They turn up mostly in cats under about five years old, though they can appear at any age. Snoring that persists even when the cat is awake, sometimes with a change in voice or trouble swallowing, is typical.

New snoring in an adult or senior cat. Narrowing of the airway behind the nose (nasopharyngeal stenosis) can cause constant snoring in adult cats. Older cats can also have nasal tumors, most often lymphoma, which usually shows up around age ten and often sounds like snoring. Compared with rhinitis, a tumor is more likely to cause discharge from just one nostril, blood in the discharge, or difficulty breathing. Most snoring cats don’t have anything this serious, but a new snore in an older cat is worth a check.

What to record before the vet visit

Breathing noises have a habit of stopping the moment you walk into the clinic, so bring the evidence with you.

Film it. Record 30 seconds or so with sound, showing both the face and the chest, without waking the cat. If the noise also happens when the cat is awake, film that too.

Note the pattern. When it started, whether it happens only asleep or also awake, whether it changes with position, and how often. Add any discharge (one side or both, clear, colored, or bloody), sneezing, changes in voice, appetite, or swallowing.

Count the sleeping breathing rate. Wait until your cat is asleep and not purring. Watch the chest: one rise and fall counts as one breath. Count for 30 seconds and double it. Healthy adult cats usually take about 20 breaths a minute asleep and stay under 30. If you count above 30, recount later; if it is repeatedly above 30, call your vet. Cats breathe much faster at the clinic: in one study, healthy cats typically took about 20 breaths a minute asleep at home and about 64 in the consultation room. Your number from home is the one your vet can use. The HCM guide explains why this count is also an early warning for heart problems.

When to take a snoring cat to the vet

Call your vet the same day for:

• A sleeping breathing rate repeatedly above 30, especially in a cat with a heart condition
• A nosebleed, or blood in the nasal discharge
• Repeated coughing fits, or a cold that comes with poor appetite or low energy

Book an appointment soon for:

• New snoring in an adult cat who never snored
• Snoring that gets louder over weeks
• Snoring-type noise while the cat is awake that lasts more than about two weeks
• Discharge from one nostril
• Swelling on the face or over the nose
• A change in the voice, or trouble swallowing
• An occasional cough that looks like a hairball that never comes up

How Furwise can help

Snoring changes slowly, and it is hard to tell from memory whether it is louder than last month. In Furwise you can log each episode as a symptom, add photos, and write the sleeping breathing rate in the notes, so you can look back over the weeks. When you see the vet, the timeline is right there to show them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it normal for cats to snore? Yes, occasional snoring during deep sleep is normal, especially when it changes with sleeping position and your cat is otherwise well. Flat-faced breeds snore more often because of their airway shape. See a vet if snoring is new in an adult cat, keeps getting louder, happens while the cat is awake, or comes with discharge or breathing effort.

Should I wake my cat up if they’re snoring? There’s no need to wake them. Watching quietly tells you more: count the breathing rate and look for signs of effort, like the belly pumping or the mouth open.

How many breaths per minute is normal for a sleeping cat? In healthy adult cats, the sleeping breathing rate averages around 20 breaths a minute and usually stays under 30. Count while your cat is asleep and not purring, for 30 seconds, then double it. If it is repeatedly above 30, call your vet.

Do overweight cats snore more? There is little research on this in cats. In people, extra weight is a known contributor to snoring, so a link is plausible. Keeping your cat at a healthy weight is worth doing for many other reasons, and the obesity guide explains how.

Why does my cat sound congested when awake? Snoring-type noise while awake means air is meeting resistance in the nose or throat even without sleep relaxing the tissue. A cold is the most common cause and usually clears within a couple of weeks; see a vet sooner if your cat stops eating. If the noise lasts longer, affects one side, or appears in an older cat, have a vet look for a polyp, a narrowing, or a growth.