Cat pants after playing

My cat is an 11 month old domestic shorthair female, spayed. I’ve had her since she was 5 days old. I’m an adult and the vet is available but she absolutely hates it and pregabalin/gabapentin don’t work. She pants after playing.

Hi, I’ve had an issue with my cat and I don’t know if I’m paranoid or if it’s getting worse. Basically, she pants after intense playing sessions. It’s usually 10 minutes or more of pretty intense running and jumping. Her paws also get sweaty and I can hear her breathing, It is summer now but it’s not hot anymore where I’m from. She’s always done this to some extent, but today I noticed it may have been getting worse. I’m not sure if she’s still hot because the heat hasn’t fully left my apartment but I do have ac. Today specifically it was on and off for about 5 minutes, like 2-3 second pants, then normal, then 2-3 second pants. The breaks were around 10-15 seconds each. Her breathing was not abdominal but very fast and shallow during that time; and took a pretty long time to get back to normal. Could this be a lung issue? She had an ekg before her spay around 2 months ago and the cardiologist said her heart was perfect. That’s why I’m thinking lungs. This never happens when she’s mildly playing or resting. Her bpm when resting is around 20. Should I contact her vet? Is this a reason to worry or normal?