The Snoring of Pets.

NICK BARNETT   Last updated 11:09 07/05/2015

Does your cat or dog snore? If so, are you worried about it? I discovered that though I may not need to worry about it, exactly, I may need to pay attention to what it might mean, and take action.

Connor has always been given to bursts of loud sleeping. His breathing would get hoarse, but not for long. It was as though he’d changed positions, or moved into a new stage of sleep. (Which is probably exactly what was happening, as I’ll explain soon.)

But lately he’s making more noise, for longer, and more often. We hear him in his crate after bedtime, making soft, snoozy noises. Yesterday I watched him next to me on the couch as he curled himself into his usual C-shaped, snout-in-the-crook-of-a-hind-leg pose. Soon he was breathing with a zzz, not gagging or choking or in any way alarming sounding, but humming moistly.

Not a big deal, you might think. Pets have a breathing apparatus basically like a person’s, and so the phenomenon ofsnoring – the vibration of relaxed throat tissues while breathing – is going to happen sometimes. Half of us humans snore some of the time, and we handle it – even if it means ear plugs.

But in Connor’s case this is a change in behaviour and a pet owner is meant to take notice, right?

Then I happened to read a new article on Mother Nature Network about snoring among dogs. It told me some important things, many of which apply also to cats. I’ll try to sum them up.

Snoring can be caused by the sleeping position. Dogs and cats get themselves into torturous postures, especially stretched out on their back.

The position a pet sleeps in can trigger snoring.

It could be an obstruction – a bit of grass or cloth from a toy. It could be an allergy. It could be a tooth abscess or sinus growth. It could be a fungal disease picked up from grass clippings or dust.

Or the snoring could be caused by something more structural. Breeds with shorter snouts have to work harder to breathe, sometimes, and surgery might be needed.

Then there’s obesity. Extra grams on a pet can mean more tissue in its airways that can block breathing.

Weight – this may be the factor with Connor. He’s a spry little chipolata who you’d hardly call chubby. But in the past couple of months he’s felt thicker around his spine and midriff, as though going through middle-age spread at the age of six-and-a-half. We need to kick up his exercise programme a notch.

Beyond that, next time we’re at the vet with Connor, I’ll raise his snoring. Let’s get questions such as polyps and allergies sorted out.

Connor’s snoring is not alarming. It doesn’t seem to keep him from sleeping. It’s even endearing – a little like the soft breathing of a baby. (There’s a whole genre of YouTube videos recording the loud snoring of various cats and dogs.) Most likely, the snoring doesn’t mean anything serious. But we pet owners sometimes dismiss things as cute or characterful when sometimes they’re problems that can be eased.

There are some useful discussions of cat snoring here, here and here.

From Catster, an important note: “Snoring that becomes progressively louder or is linked to other symptoms such as sneezing, coughing, or changes in appetite is probably as sign of illness. Snoring that occurs in combination with respiratory distress is a medical emergency – respiratory distress is always a medical emergency.”