Cats mask pain effectively, making recognition challenging. Evidence-based pain assessment tools and multimodal analgesia improve welfare outcomes for cats in acute and chronic pain.
Pain recognition in cats is one of veterinary medicine's most important unsolved welfare challenges. Cats who are in significant pain — from osteoarthritis, postoperative healing, dental disease, or injury — often appear quiet and withdrawn rather than obviously distressed. This stoicism causes welfare harm at two levels: the primary pain itself, and the secondary harm of inadequate pain treatment because the pain is not recognized. The Feline Grimace Scale provides a validated, objective tool that enables pain assessment from a distance without stressful handling. Using this tool in veterinary settings and teaching owners to recognize subtle pain indicators transforms the welfare of painful cats from invisible suffering to recognized and treated discomfort.