Is it normal for a kitten to lay down and pant like a dog after playing?

Panting after a hard or prolonged play session is normal. Some kittens are so enthusiastic about playing games that they just over exert themselves. After a little rest and a chance to catch their breath, they are often ready to start playing again.

When my cat was a kitten she loved playing fetch and sometimes she would want to play for so long that she'd start panting. She has a pale pink nose and it would flush bright pink when she started overdoing it, so I used to stop the game for a while when I noticed she was becoming hot.

Yes, it's perfectly normal. If your kitten has been given a nice, long workout, then it's completely natural for him/her to be a little winded. Just as long as s/he isn't going around with his/her tongue hanging out there's no problem that I would see. Make sure in the summer months you keep his/her fur trimmed down and you always keep a bowl of cool drinking water out no matter what season it is.

If your kitten stops playing, that generally means s/he is tired and needs a break. Usually they're ready again in twenty minutes but don't force him/her to play if s/he doesn't want to.

My cat has never panted, but her play sessions are relatively short so maybe that contributes to it.

Hope I helped! :)

If the kitten starts panting like that and is not playing that hard you may want to have him checked because it could also mean a heart condition. My daughter's kitten had a heart attack and died about 4 hours after a panting spell. My daughter knew this was out of his norm and she took it to an all night vet and it had the heart attack in the office.

Definitely NOT normal for a young cub.

Answers only from a vet.