Companion Animals

Cat Chronic Pain Assessment Advances

Assessing chronic pain in cats is challenging due to their stoic nature. New validated assessment tools are improving pain recognition in clinical and home settings.

Key Facts

The Feline Grimace Scale (FGS) is a validated acute pain assessment tool using facial action units
The Glasgow Composite Measure Pain Scale has a cat-specific version (CMPS-Feline)
Owner-reported quality of life assessments capture chronic pain impacts invisible in clinical settings
Infrared thermography is an emerging non-invasive tool for identifying pain through heat distribution
Pain biomarkers in blood and urine are under research to provide objective chronic pain measures

Welfare Considerations

Chronic pain assessment in cats lags behind acute pain recognition tools. Yet chronic pain - from dental disease, arthritis, and internal conditions - affects millions of cats daily without recognition. The development and clinical implementation of validated chronic pain assessment tools is one of the most important welfare advances in feline medicine, enabling treatment of suffering that was previously invisible.

What You Can Do

Use owner-reported quality of life assessments for senior or chronically ill cats monthly
Learn the Feline Grimace Scale facial action units to recognize acute pain at home
Discuss validated pain assessment tools with your veterinarian for cats with known painful conditions
Support veterinary education programs incorporating evidence-based feline pain assessment training