Johnson: Experts agree on signs of pain in cats

In its most obvious and acute form it comes as a sudden exclamation — a howl, yelp or even a scream — then there are the more prolonged versions — cries, whimpering or jagged breath.

Part of the body’s intricate alarm system designed to preserve and protect, physical pain is a sensation that tells creatures great and small that something is wrong.

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In as much as it is a response to negative stimuli, pain is also a message sent from the body that demands the brain to orchestrate a withdrawal, extra care or respite — in essence it is a sharp instruction that isn’t intended to be ignored, hence the discomfort.

The exact causes, levels of tolerance and way that it feels may vary, but when living creatures feel pain, they instinctually understand the message it sends.

Unfortunately, all too often it is a message restricted to the one feeling it, particularly when communication barriers exist.

And while the pain message is an important one for the individual, it can be equally important to be able to share that message with others.

Being able to share with those around you that something is wrong can not only enable others to provide comfort, it can be the difference between life and death.

For those with shared language, as in the case of humans, there is no shortage of words to let others know when you are in pain. Beyond words, as humans we can understand nonverbal clues expressed by other humans that communicate pain – a grimace, gritted teeth, a furrowed brow — because we relate and we know the feelings that cause those reactions.

Our pets, on the other hand, are often isolated from others of their species and are completely dependent on us — yet we don’t always know or understand what pain looks like for them.

Some things are obvious, for instance when a wound is accompanied with cries there is little doubt that pain is involved.

In contrast, subtle changes in behavior could mean a lot of things and pain isn’t necessarily a first guess. Because of this, understanding and recognizing pain is an important aspect of treating and caring for animals.

To help veterinarians and pet owners, British researchers conducted an international study to identify the possible signs of pain in cats.

Their results were published Wednesday in the scientific journal PLOS One.

Getting experts to agree is no small accomplishment, particularly across borders, however over the course of several months, researchers queried 19 veterinary experts around the world multiple times for their opinions and insight until a consensus was reached.

Among a list of 25 signs that indicate a cat is in pain, experts agreed on: lameness, difficulty jumping, an abnormal gait, reluctance to move, reaction to palpitation, withdrawal and/or hiding, absence of grooming, less play, decrease in appetite, less rubbing toward people, general mood changes, temperament changes, hunched up posture, shifting of weight, licking a particular region of the body and lower head posture.

Beyond identifying symptoms of pain, the panel further outlined whether a specific behavior is likely to indicate a high or low level of pain.

As much as we love our pets and as badly as we want to believe in our empathy and powers of observation, having a definitive legend by which to quickly identify when an animal is in pain can prevent something critical from being overlooked.

It also serves as a reminder that while some signs of pain are universal and do cross species lines, there are times we need to work a little harder if we really want to understand.

Sharna Johnson is a writer who is always searching for ponies. You can reach her at:

[email protected].