Chronic pain is significantly underrecognized and undertreated in cats due to their stoic nature and the limited options historically available, but evidence-based management approaches are improving welfare substantially.
Chronic pain in cats represents a profound welfare problem because the same stoic behavioral adaptations that helped wild cats avoid showing vulnerability to predators now result in domestic cats suffering silently for months or years. Veterinary assessments historically underestimated feline pain because obvious pain behaviors - vocalizing and guarding - are less prominent than in dogs. The development of validated pain assessment tools including the Feline Grimace Scale has transformed clinical recognition. Pain reduces cats' engagement with normal activities, social interaction, play, and grooming in ways that substantially compromise quality of life. Effective pain management - now available through multiple drug classes and non-pharmacological approaches - can dramatically restore quality of life in chronically painful cats.