Do you know how to recognize pain in your cat?

Whether you are a veterinary professional or a cat caretaker, recognizing pain is one of the most difficult things to do. We assume that cats can’t communicate their pain, but in fact, they are communicating – we just have to listen. In this case, “listening” to cats means looking at their facial features using the Feline Grimace Scale.

Our Vet Welfare Training Program has been holding training sessions for cat lovers in China and Hong Kong to practice using this amazing tool.

Download the fact sheet here or visit the website for more information.

Identifying facial expressions during training practice.

What can cat guardians do?

Download the Feline Grimace Scale App through the website and start scoring your cats! There are detailed instructions on the website, but the important thing is to make sure that your cats are relaxed and sitting there, not reacting to things around them. If your cat does show signs of pain, make an appointment with your vet team.

Exploring the Feline Grimace Scale app during training.

What to look for

There are five facial features that should be looked at and graded from zero to two, depending on what you see. There are very helpful photos on the app to guide the process and at the end, if the number is equal to or greater than four, it means the cat is suffering from acute pain. Cat guardians can take this information to their vets and together, make a plan for more pain medications – also known as rescue analgesia.

Senior Veterinary Trainer Mandala and Veterinary Training Manager Wen Yan conduct training. 

Do animals feel pain like we do?

Animals have the same nervous system as we do and therefore feel pain the same way as well. The only difference is the animals can suffer in silence while we vocalize our pain and discomfort and seek treatment. Cats especially, are hard-wired to hide weakness and they can mask signs of pain very well. We have so much more information now, through recent scientific research, that there’s no question that every animal feels pain the same as humans.

A confident group of guardians, now armed with pain management knowledge to help their cats.

Why is treating pain important?

If your cat recently had a surgical procedure and is quietly resting, you may not know that he or she is suffering from pain. However, there is a lot going on internally with regards to the signals that are being transmitted from the surgery site to the brain. Pain causes animals (and people!) to be cranky, withdraw and often, to become aggressive, even towards beloved family members. We now know that by not treating this post-surgical pain, your cat is at great risk of developing long-term pain in the future.

We can all think of that cranky old cat that bites for no reason – what if that reason is pain?

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