Pain Score in Cats

Nobody wants to see their pet in pain, but sometimes it is hard to tell if your cat is painful. Determining if a cat is in pain is much more difficult than it is in a dog or a horse or a human! Cats like to hide their pain from others – that is what evolution has taught them to do. Cats are not dogs – they don’t always limp when they are in pain or whine to get attention. In fact, telling if a cat is in pain is so difficult that veterinarians have developed different pain scores and graphics for cats. They have studied cats extensively and taken note of their facial expressions, subtle behavioral changes, and ear carriage, and come up with scores for cat pain levels. This helps us determine when a cat needs more pain medication. 

If you are worried that your cat may be in pain, look for changes in behavior such as not jumping as much, taking longer to get up from laying down, not interacting as usual, or changes in appetite. And always, if you’re worried your cat is in pain, bring them to your veterinarian and discuss your concerns. We all want to keep our beloved cats as pain - free as possible. 

New feline pain scale interprets pain from cats’ facial expressions (aaha.org)