diff --git a/pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord/dist_sender_rangefeed.go b/pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord/dist_sender_rangefeed.go
index c7032d18fc46..83142597e79a 100644
--- a/pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord/dist_sender_rangefeed.go
+++ b/pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord/dist_sender_rangefeed.go
@@ -594,11 +594,6 @@ func (ds *DistSender) singleRangeFeed(
 
 	for {
 		stuckWatcher.stop() // if timer is running from previous iteration, stop it now
-		if catchupRes == nil {
-			// Already finished catch-up scan (in an earlier iteration of this loop),
-			// so start timer early, not on first event received.
-			stuckWatcher.ping()
-		}
 		if transport.IsExhausted() {
 			return args.Timestamp, newSendError(
 				fmt.Sprintf("sending to all %d replicas failed", len(replicas)))
@@ -639,19 +634,21 @@ func (ds *DistSender) singleRangeFeed(
 			}
 		}
 
+		var event *roachpb.RangeFeedEvent
 		for {
-			event, err := stream.Recv()
-			if err == io.EOF {
-				return args.Timestamp, nil
-			}
-			if err != nil {
+			if err := stuckWatcher.do(func() (err error) {
+				event, err = stream.Recv()
+				return err
+			}); err != nil {
+				if err == io.EOF {
+					return args.Timestamp, nil
+				}
 				if stuckWatcher.stuck() {
 					afterCatchUpScan := catchupRes == nil
 					return args.Timestamp, ds.handleStuckEvent(&args, afterCatchUpScan, stuckWatcher.threshold())
 				}
 				return args.Timestamp, err
 			}
-			stuckWatcher.ping() // starts timer on first event only
 
 			msg := RangeFeedMessage{RangeFeedEvent: event, RegisteredSpan: span}
 			switch t := event.GetValue().(type) {
diff --git a/pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord/dist_sender_rangefeed_canceler.go b/pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord/dist_sender_rangefeed_canceler.go
index d42b8b188c11..206eb73a03cf 100644
--- a/pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord/dist_sender_rangefeed_canceler.go
+++ b/pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord/dist_sender_rangefeed_canceler.go
@@ -49,7 +49,8 @@ type stuckRangeFeedCanceler struct {
 	resetTimerAfter time.Time
 	activeThreshold time.Duration
 
-	_stuck int32 // atomic
+	_stuck  int32 // atomic
+	_active int32 // atomic
 }
 
 // stuck returns true if the stuck detection got triggered.
@@ -71,11 +72,11 @@ func (w *stuckRangeFeedCanceler) stop() {
 
 // ping notifies the canceler that the rangefeed has received an
 // event, i.e. is making progress.
-func (w *stuckRangeFeedCanceler) ping() {
+func (w *stuckRangeFeedCanceler) do(fn func() error) error {
 	threshold := w.threshold()
 	if threshold == 0 {
 		w.stop()
-		return
+		return fn()
 	}
 
 	mkTimer := func() {
@@ -86,21 +87,28 @@ func (w *stuckRangeFeedCanceler) ping() {
 		// ping() event arrives at 29.999s, the timer should only fire
 		// at 90s, not 60s.
 		w.t = time.AfterFunc(3*threshold/2, func() {
-			// NB: important to store _stuck before canceling, since we
-			// want the caller to be able to detect stuck() after ctx
-			// cancels.
-			atomic.StoreInt32(&w._stuck, 1)
-			w.cancel()
+			// NB: trigger cancellation only if currently active.
+			if atomic.LoadInt32(&w._active) != 0 {
+				// NB: important to store _stuck before canceling, since we
+				// want the caller to be able to detect stuck() after ctx
+				// cancels.
+				atomic.StoreInt32(&w._stuck, 1)
+				w.cancel()
+			}
 		})
 		w.resetTimerAfter = timeutil.Now().Add(threshold / 2)
 	}
 
+	atomic.StoreInt32(&w._active, 1)
+	defer atomic.StoreInt32(&w._active, 0)
+
 	if w.t == nil {
 		mkTimer()
 	} else if w.resetTimerAfter.Before(timeutil.Now()) || w.activeThreshold != threshold {
 		w.stop()
 		mkTimer()
 	}
+	return fn()
 }
 
 // newStuckRangeFeedCanceler sets up a canceler with the provided
diff --git a/pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord/dist_sender_rangefeed_canceler_test.go b/pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord/dist_sender_rangefeed_canceler_test.go
index 26e0b6cdf9f8..9b032f4aea28 100644
--- a/pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord/dist_sender_rangefeed_canceler_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kv/kvclient/kvcoord/dist_sender_rangefeed_canceler_test.go
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 package kvcoord
 
 import (
+	"context"
 	"sync/atomic"
 	"testing"
 	"time"
@@ -20,38 +21,35 @@ import (
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
-type cancelRec int32
-
-func (c *cancelRec) cancel() {
-	atomic.StoreInt32((*int32)(c), 1)
-}
-
-func (c *cancelRec) canceled() bool {
-	return atomic.LoadInt32((*int32)(c)) != 0
-}
-
 func TestStuckRangeFeedCanceler(t *testing.T) {
 	defer leaktest.AfterTest(t)()
 
 	_dur := int64(24 * time.Hour) // atomic
-	var cr cancelRec
-	c := newStuckRangeFeedCanceler(cr.cancel, func() time.Duration {
+	ctx, cancel := context.WithCancel(context.Background())
+	defer cancel()
+	doNothing := func() error { return nil }
+	blockUntilCanceled := func() error {
+		<-ctx.Done()
+		return ctx.Err()
+	}
+
+	c := newStuckRangeFeedCanceler(cancel, func() time.Duration {
 		return time.Duration(atomic.LoadInt64(&_dur))
 	})
 	require.Nil(t, c.t) // not running upon creation
+
 	for i := 0; i < 10; i++ {
 		time.Sleep(time.Millisecond)
 		require.False(t, c.stuck())
-		c.ping()
+		require.NoError(t, c.do(doNothing))
 		require.NotNil(t, c.t) // first call to ping sets off timer
 	}
-	atomic.StoreInt64(&_dur, int64(time.Nanosecond))
+	atomic.StoreInt64(&_dur, int64(10*time.Millisecond))
 	// Nothing has reset the timer yet, so we won't be stuck here.
 	// This isn't great but it is true, so documenting it.
 	require.False(t, c.stuck())
 	// Ping will update the timer, so it will fire very soon.
-	c.ping()
-	require.Eventually(t, cr.canceled, time.Second /* max */, 5*time.Nanosecond /* tick */)
+	require.Equal(t, context.Canceled, c.do(blockUntilCanceled))
 	require.True(t, c.stuck())
 
 	atomic.StoreInt64(&_dur, int64(24*time.Hour))
@@ -60,6 +58,6 @@ func TestStuckRangeFeedCanceler(t *testing.T) {
 	for i := 0; i < 10; i++ {
 		time.Sleep(time.Nanosecond)
 		require.True(t, c.stuck())
-		c.ping()
+		require.Equal(t, context.Canceled, c.do(blockUntilCanceled))
 	}
 }