Chronic pain is significantly underdiagnosed in cats due to behavioral masking, with validated assessment tools and improved treatment protocols improving welfare outcomes.
Chronic pain in cats represents one of the most significant hidden welfare problems in companion animal medicine. The stoic masking of pain in cats as a prey animal means that significant chronic suffering from arthritis and other pain conditions is normalized as 'slowing down with age' rather than recognized and treated. The validation of the Feline Grimace Scale and the development of species-appropriate analgesics including anti-NGF antibody treatments represent meaningful welfare progress. The challenge is translating available treatment into actual welfare improvement through better owner education about pain recognition, veterinarian proactivity in pain assessment, and owner compliance with treatment recommendations.