Advanced methods for recognizing and assessing acute and chronic pain in cats, overcoming the challenge of feline stoicism.
The gap between the prevalence of pain in cats and the frequency with which it is recognized and treated is one of the most significant welfare challenges in companion animal medicine. Feline stoicism is not merely a behavioral trait but an evolutionary adaptation that actively suppresses outward pain expression. Validated pain assessment tools developed in the past decade have transformed the ability of veterinarians and informed owners to detect and quantify pain. Every cat owner should be familiar with the Feline Grimace Scale as a simple home assessment tool for acute pain events.