Why is my old cat head pressing, pacing, disoriented, and panting?

Your cat sounds critically ill and should be seen by a vet ASAP. Open-mouth breathing is always an emergency in cats - it is a sign of respiratory distress. It is difficult to say what the cause is without doing some testing, but possibilities include cancer, pneumonia, asthma, or heart failure.

Those are very concerning signs - panting in a cat is always worrisome, because it normally indicates either difficulty breathing, or extreme pain or stress. Vomiting, crying, and acting lethargic are all signs that he is very sick. I would be concerned about a serious problem such as an intestinal obstruction, liver or kidney failure, exposure to something toxic, or even a bladder obstruction - this is unfortunately a very common problem in neutered male cats, and can cause the symptoms you describe. I would recommend having Max seen by an emergency vet tonight - he/she can palpate his abdomen to check for any abnormalities, and will probably also do blood work and x-rays to help determine the problem.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! The loss of balance can be caused by ear infections, tumors, or toxin ingestion. In very rare occasions, antibiotics can cause neurologic damage and this may be an indication of this. These episodes may also be seizures. I recommend having your cat examined by a veterinarian who can perform a neurological exam to see what is causing these episodes. You should try to take photos or a video when this happens to help your vet make a diagnosis. I hope this helps and that all is well!

It may not be his time yet but he does need to be examined by the veterinarian today. The disorientation and potential blindness is concerning for low blood sugar, hypertension, a brain tumor and a few other conditions. Some of these conditions respond very well to treatment and some don't but first, you must know what is happening so you know the treatment options. Just like humans, diseases are best diagnosed and treated early so have him examined today. I hope he gets this figured out quickly! Please feel free to post any additional questions.

I would be very concerned for cardiac disease or infectious disease (pneumonia) based on those radiographs. With a temperature of 35 C (95 F) that is absolutely an emergency situation. You can see panting with cardiac disease when pulmonary edema begins to develop, which is when fluid is present within the lung tissue and does not allow for adequate gas exchange to occur. I recognize that this was posted 3 days ago, but if Sasi has not been re-evaluated by her veterinarian she needs to be ASAP to determine a treatment plan and if further diagnostics are indicated (echocardiogram, airway wash, etc.).

Panting is always concerning and is usually a sign of respiratory distress in cats. She could be having respiratory problems, a heart issue, or have anemia from fleas. I'd recommend trying to find her outdoors if possible and taking her to a vet as soon as you can.

Poor Precious! It sounds like she's quite sick. Open-mouth breathing or "panting" in cats is not normal, and usually indicates a serious breathing problem or some type of severe stress. Acting lethargic and not eating are very vague symptoms that could be caused by almost any kind of illness, so it's hard to say what might be going on without being able to examine her and run some tests. It does sound like this may be a life-threatening problem, so I would recommend taking her to the vet today to be seen. If your regular veterinarian doesn't have Saturday hours, I would take her to your nearest emergency clinic. The vet there can do blood work, x-rays, or other testing if needed to help diagnose the problem and see what kind of treatment is needed.