Cat breathing making 'snoring sound' while awake (stertor)

UPDATE Jan 9,2023
Done in early Nov--CT of face, showed no abnormalities in her nose. Her lungs had some abnormality but was negative for cancer and infection.
The CT radiologist suggested a visualization of the larynx to check for mural lesions but this was after she had the CT and the internal medicine vets did not follow up with this suggestion.
why is she making the noise? has yet to be definitively diagnosed.

As of now, she still makes this breathing sound and I'm keeping an eye on her for signs of distress. We went through a lot in the fall with treating for her middle ear infection (diagnosed on her CT) and I'm not wanting to do too much at this time plus the vet mentioned that some animals make sounds when breathing and can be normal if nothing else comes up.
That being said , all cases are unique so if you're concerned about breathing sounds in your cat I would recommend a vet assessment to be on the safe side and ensure nothing is missed.

all the best to you and your furry friend!

************
My cat's breathing has gotten louder over the last month. She's 12 and my lil girl!
The vet has referred her to a specialist, we are awaiting an appt.
I wanted to share this with others in case you have had a similar cat experience. we don't have a diagnosis yet. chest xray showed a bit of congestion, otherwise normal. Heart and lung sounds normal, breathing rate normal. Bloodwork didn't show anything aside from elevated SDMA.
I'm hoping we can get a CT through the specialist.

I recommend, any abnormal breathing sounds with cats should be diagnosed by a vet.**

She doesn't always make the sound, mostly when she's relaxed so the vet only hears it on video recording. it's with inhalation. She does look uncomfortable at times, but otherwise she's pretty normal, playful.
We love our fur babies!

[evadrimon]

My cat does this sometimes and we found a tumor in her right lung and her left lung has a partial collapse. Definitely get your cats checked if you hear this, it can be much more severe than just asthma.

[KatieKate]

My cat does this too. She's done it ever since. She was a year old and she's eight now. I took her in concerned about it when she started doing it and they didn't find anything. But it still scares me

[jelenaspiljak]

Guys, please get your cats checked for heart disease, my cat was making this sound, iz was getting worse with time. Xray showed a small shadow on lungs, just below heart, that got a little better with antibiotics and prednisolone. Asthma and verminous pneumonia were suspected, and we lost our little guy yesterday during bronchoalveolar lavage that was meant to give some answers. Autopsy showed heart disease, further analysis pending, but his heart looked normal on xray (he had three in the span of two months) and sounded normal the whole time.

[MrFroggy]

Sounds like my cat. It started slowly about 7 months ago. We did xray and ct but similar as in your case, nose looks ok. Some changes (3 nodules in lungs which I was told are most likely changes after some infection). I don’t know what to do next. Just keep my eye on her and do inhalations daily.

[MichaelF-ssgv]

Any news? My cat whom is 12 started making these noises when relaxed and only when inhaling.

[mariansue]

My 4y/o cat do the same. I’m very worried about his sounds while breathing.

[colincrossan]

What was the outcome mine is the same been checked by vet and found nothing wrong

[sohnitabassum]

Mine has been making this a lot lately
He has heart murmur and has cardiomyopathy and is on medication for the past 8 months now.

But idk if it’s related.

This stresses me out so much

[KevynG.]

My cat is also a tortie & looks very similar to your cat. She is nearing 3 years old. She makes the exact same noises as in this video, though it only occurs ~10% of the time. She does snore while asleep sometimes, which sounds basically the same.
I got her from a rescue agency when she was around 10 months old. She gave birth just before I took her in; a very young mama. I only noticed this breathing situation ~1 year ago.
She is a very small cat, though she is now a couple pounds overweight. I wonder if weight contributes? Is your cat: overweight? extra small? a combo of extra small + overweight?

I have yet to take mine to the vet for it, as she is completely fine otherwise. The strange breathing seems to occur randomly in any position. It happens when she is at rest & otherwise unencumbered -- as soon as I vie for her attention, it ceases.

[crazycats]

Hi, has the cat been checked for polyps in the nose and throat? The cause can be polyps.

[jacquelinemckenna]

Omg is this bad? Mines been doing this for few years and the vets have never found anything. Do I have to tell them this happens so he has an xray?

[janaj]

My cat makes this exact same sound, awake or asleep. He’s only 2 years old but he’s been making this sound for at least a year if not longer. Please keep us updated. Your cat is the only one I’ve found on here that sounds exactly like mine. 💙

[leahwiesner]

My cat has bad seasonal allergies and does this and it freaks me out

[Ashi]

My cat makes these sounds when he’s sitting on me relaxed eyes closed ..sometimes I’ve noticed like 2 3 times ..can it be nasal congestion or just normal breathing ?!
Someone pls help (he’s 7 months old)

[ghfpv]

Hi my cat makes the same noise !!! Anyone knows what’s the cause ! I will take him soon for a vet check up but last year we did one and everything was normal

[vanessadaiger]

Did you find out why? My cat does this too

[jeremypaschall]

My little tortie makes the exact same noise when relaxed. She also has chronic watery eyes and rhinitis. Seems to be an allergy we can’t pinpoint, an autoimmune disease or hyperthyroidism. Any luck on a diagnoses?