The huffing sound sounds like a cat is trying to clean her throat, or clean her nose. While doing this, a cat has her mouth closed. Cats huff for several reasons.
Unlike people, cats don’t have hands to help themselves to what they want. They can’t reach under the couch when their toy rolls out of the way or open the door to let themselves outside. Instead, they communicate their needs by huffing.
Both panting and wheezing can sound like huffing in cats. Still, cats pant and wheeze for different reasons, such as after excess exercise, or due to asthma or respiratory illness.