Over thousands of years of natural selection, cats have mastered the ability to mask their pain. If not observed carefully, it’s very easy to overlook your cat’s strange behavior caused due to mental or physical pain. For a better understanding of pain, we must know that it has two components: the sensory aspect (intensity, location, and duration) and the affective aspect (emotional toll).
While pets and their owners develop a shared language, it’s sometimes beyond human understanding to decode a cat’s misery. For assessment of pain in cats requires the owners to closely observe any change in behavior, attitude or physical activities of the cat. This way it’s easy to at least spot the problem even before it begins to take a toll on your kitty. A British study recently concluded 25 signs that can be relied upon to indicate pain in cats. In other words, if your cat is doing any of the following, it’s time to call VetLab for expert assistance.
- Lameness
- Difficulty jumping
- Abnormal gait
- Reluctance to move
- Reaction to palpation [applying light pressure with the hands]
- Withdrawn or hiding
- Absence of grooming
- Playing less
- Appetite decrease
- Overall activity decrease
- Less rubbing toward people
- General Mood
- Temperament
- Hunched-up posture
- Shifting of weight
- Licking a particular body region
- Lower head posture
- Blepharospasm [squinting]
- Change in form of feeding behavior
- Avoiding bright areas
- Growling
- Groaning
- Eyes closed
- Straining to urinate
- Tail flicking
Remember, the above listed behavioral changes are just tools to spot the red flag but only well practiced, expert veterinarians should be trusted with your cat’s health. Any of these 25 signs or a combination of a few confirms presence of pain in your cat.
The key aspect here is that indication of no such sign is also call for trouble. Cats need special attention and guided veterinarian’s assistance on a regular basis, and not only when any of the above signs are noticed in kitty’s behavior. With these signs, it’s possible to assess and diagnose cat’s pain for both, the owner and veterinarians.
In cases, where signs show a prolonged frequency, immediately consult your veterinarian. For advanced tests, specialized pet tests, you can reach us at +011-66-448-448 or visit www.vetlab.in for better assistance.