Cats are stoic animals whose chronic pain, particularly from osteoarthritis and dental disease, is systematically underdiagnosed, with significant consequences for welfare and quality of life.
Feline chronic pain represents one of the most significant and systematically overlooked welfare problems in companion animal medicine. The combination of feline stoicism, owner unfamiliarity with pain signs, and veterinary system limitations creates an environment where large numbers of cats live with unaddressed painful conditions for years. The development of cat-specific pain questionnaires and owner-completed behavioral assessments has improved detection, but implementation remains incomplete. Proactive pain screening in senior cat wellness programs is a welfare imperative.