Panting with excitement

[Papergirl1968]

Has anyone's cat panted in excitement? My two-year-old boy was, I think, with another cat yesterday evening as he kept looking down into next door's back garden from off the fence and then jumped down.
Eventually got him in and he ate and then sat in his favourite spot on front room bedroom windowsill. After a bit he started to give a deep miaow, his tail was thrashing about, and he had clearly seen something although I couldn't see anything.
And then he started to pant, which I've never known a cat do before. Googling it suggests heart trouble but he always seems very fit and well, apart from a little overweight. He also gave me a gentle little nip on the hand, which he does sometimes, as if to say "look, mommy, look!" Rubbing his head against me, then back to glare out if the window, tail swishing.
He then went to another window before returning to the first, and when I woke up this morning was asleep on the bed as usual.
I'd say he was excited rather than agitated, but it's the panting which I found unusual.

The only panting I'm aware of is, as you sa, a symptom of heart trouble. However, this does sound very different.. I know there are a lot of vets on here so perhaps they will have a better idea!

I intervened in a cat fight between my boy and a neighborhood cat who has been giving him lots of trouble recently. My boy (who has a heart condition) was Ok, he ran in the house and was quiet and subdued for the rest of the day. The other cat, however, was panting, shaking and really struggling to breathe. My little boy had drawn blood from him in at least a couple of places (the other cat is largely white so it was obvious he was bleeding). I had intended to send him home in no uncertain terms but ended up worried about him, he left very slowly in the end. I have no idea where he comes from, and neither do my immediate neighbours, or I would have checked up to see he was OK. I haven't seen him since.

I have never seen my little boy panting and his heart condition is fairly bad (he is seven months into his six months to live ) he has absolutely no symptoms and acts like a normal lunatic young cat.

BorpCat1 occasionally does a kind of pant - breathes heavily through her mouth, but doesn't stick her tongue out. She does it when she's having a really good game of chasing BorpCat2 or vanquishing the fluffy dangly thing on a stick. She is in good health and not overweight.

Thanks, everyone. He is due for his boosters so will run by vet, who I suspect will put him on a diet in any case!

My cat used to do this on the way to the vets. It was like how a dog pants with her tongue out. I asked the vet and he said it was a type of hyperventilating because she hated the car and carrier (not well looked after until we had her from about aged 8 so hadn't been used to them).

It was really odd the first time she did it, I thought she was choking on something

The only time I've ever heard either of mine pant has been at the vet's or in the car on the way to the vet.

I've always thought of it as a sign of stress.

My cat who is 1 in August pants after a big running around session and also after going in the garden (on a lead as he's an indoor cat). I was alarmed when he did it at first but since then haven't been concerned, he stops shortly after resting and is well and healthy.

I know what you mean. Our tortie tabby cross is fixated with the cat next door. She yowls, thrashes her tail and does this funny huffing sound through her nose. I think it's a boundary/territorial thing.

Yes, that's it rolly - a kind of huffing noise, although I think it was his mouth rather than nose. It started to steam the window up, prompting him to stand up on his back legs to get a better look!

Panting/open mouth breathing can be a sign of stress, and the tail swishing is a warning/aggressive sign as well.

It sounds like he was not happy at whatever he could see out of the window.