Kavanagh made his debut on the inter-county scene at the age of sixteen when he was selected for the Kerry minor team. He had two championship seasons with the minor team, before ending his underage career as an All-Ireland runner-up. Kavanagh later joined the Galway senior team, making his debut during the 1941 championship. Over the next three years he won two Connacht medals, before joining the Kerry senior team in 1944. Kavanagh won his sole All-Ireland medal with the team in 1946. He also won five Munster medals before retiring from inter-county football in 1950.
