please help answer us.

Question
okay so we have already asked, but our cat is breathing heavly through the mouth, and has drop alot of weight in the past few days,  and he has only had a few sips of water, and will not eat at all. we were told that he might have a urinary infection, but we are thinking that he might have heart worms. do you think  you could tell us which it is???
and yes we know to call a vet.
            please reply as soon as possible.
              the owners of stripe.

Answer
Amanda -

You are absolutely correct, you should call a veterinarian. There are several disease processes that can cause your cat to breathe heavily through the mouth.  Heartworms can cause heavy breathing, but the load that cats carry for heartworms is usually light and heartworms are not common in the cat at this point. Most heartworms positive cats are not symptomatic; many die suddenly without forewarning to the owners.  A heartworm test can quickly determine the heartworm status of a cat.  There is a new test that will let you know if the cat is heartworm within a few minutes. Your vet can test your cat and you will know in a short while if our cat is heartworm positive.   

A urinary tract infection cause heavy breathing, but that is not likely.   Symptoms of UTI are lethargy, vomiting, and maybe a decrease in appetite depending on the severity of the urinary tract infection.

Asthma can also cause heavy breathing in a cat and is exacerbated if the cat lives in a household where the owners smoke cigarettes.  

Have your pet evaluated as soon as possible.  Open mouthed breathed in a cat can be very serious - do not just "wait to see" what will happen.  Your pet needs veterinary care sooner than later; the longer you wait, the worse the symptoms will become.  

Best Regards,

Charlotte Sherrell, DVM