Chronic pain in cats from arthritis, dental disease, and other conditions is systematically undertreated because cats hide pain effectively, requiring validated assessment tools and proactive management approaches.
Feline chronic pain management is limited primarily by detection failure — cats that appear "slowing down with age" are frequently experiencing significant untreated pain. The stoic, independent nature of cats leads owners and veterinarians to underestimate pain severity and undertreat accordingly. Research using validated pain scales reveals that many cats identified as aging normally are experiencing moderate to severe chronic pain. The Feline Grimace Scale makes pain assessment accessible to owners between veterinary visits, enabling better monitoring and prompting earlier intervention. The range of pain management options has expanded considerably — monoclonal antibody therapies offer monthly dosing with minimal systemic effects for cats who cannot tolerate NSAIDs. Environmental modification provides welfare benefit without pharmaceutical intervention by reducing the pain of everyday activities.