Hiding pain is an instinctive response for felines in the wild. A cat in pain is seen as weak and vulnerable by other cats and predators. Your pampered indoor house cat isn’t all that far removed from her wild counterparts, she responds to pain the same way they do – by keeping it to herself.

Fortunately, a tuned-in pet owner/parent who knows what to look for can make a pretty accurate guess when a cat is hurting. Signs can include:

Hiding more than normal
Acting unusually quiet or withdrawn
Agitation
Refusal to lie down or sleep
Loss of appetite
Aggressive behaviour or other personality changes
Rapid breathing or panting
Hissing, biting or running away when certain areas of the body are touched
Increased heart rate
Altered movement or gait
Most cats in pain do not vocalise, however, if your cat almost never howls or cries but suddenly starts, it could be a sign there’s something painful going on.

Because of this, Cats present a special challenge for the humans who love them. They also present a challenge to the veterinary community because there are a limited amount of medical options available for feline pain relief. With many of the medications used to treat pain in dogs for instance aren’t safe for your Cat.

Pain is a serious medical problem requiring treatment. Obviously something that would hurt or cause you discomfort is also doing the same to you cat or dog, they just hide it better.

Pain can delay or prevent proper healing from injury or surgery. It can also cause serious loss of appetite, which for cats can be a life-or-death situation.

Chronic pain can cause inactivity and loss of overall quality of life for your pet. It can also threaten the bond you share with your Cat if his personality or behaviour changes or he becomes aggressive.

In addition to this, when pain isn’t managed effectively, it can progress from what we call adaptive pain – pain caused by a specific injury or condition – to pain that is maladaptive. Maladaptive pain is its own disease and must be dealt with in addition to routine pain management. Maladaptive pain can be of much longer duration than normal pain and considerably more challenging to treat, so you can see the importance of getting your cat seen by a vet as soon as you suspect the presence of a painful condition.

Some common causes of pain in Cats

Trauma or injury
GI tract disturbances
Ingestion of poisons
Dental/oral infections and diseases
Urinary tract disease
Infections of the eyes, ears, skin
Arthritis
Diseases of the back or spine
Surgery (including dental surgery)
Major diseases like cancer

Some of the causes of pain in cats will appear more obvious than others. Obviously most cat owners know when their pet has been injured, is recovering from surgery, has gum disease or a problem with an eye, ear or a patch of skin. Less obvious reasons for pain are an underlying urinary tract problem, arthritis, a tummy ache – anything going on primarily inside your cat where you can’t see it. So if you notice one or more subtle signs of pain or you know for instance that your Cat has dental issues … or you can see some sort of rash or eruption on your pet’s skin, it’s time to make an appointment with your vet.The sooner you find out the underlying cause of your Cat’s pain, the sooner you can get her on the road to feeling better.

Also be aware older cats often develop osteoarthritis, inter vertebral disc disease, and spondylosis (joint degeneration), and all these conditions cause pain. So if you have a senior Cat you suspect might be having some pain, once again, I recommend you make an appointment for a health checkup.

Medical management of Cats with pain

Never provide your cat with human pain medication. A cat’s liver and kidneys are built differently and are often incapable of processing the same ingredients. The common ingredients used in human pain medication are NSAIDs and are in concentration that are far too great for our pet companions to process. It would do nothing to relieve their pain, but it could cause fatal toxicity in your Cat. Obviously resolving the cause of your cat’s pain is the first priority. Often pain needs to be treated separately while the underlying condition causing the pain is also being treated. If your cat requires surgery there will be pain involved, no matter how minor or routine the procedure is. Ask your vet how he or she manages pain before, during and after surgery. For example, pre-medication before anaesthesia not only helps decrease the animals’ pain response, it can also increase the effectiveness of the anaesthesia so your Cat requires less of it during surgery.

The vast majority of cats experience a great deal of stress when taken for vet visits. Fear and anxiety can make pain worse, as does being restrained for any reason.
So if your already painful Cat gets really stressed during vet visits and an office procedure must be performed while you’re there, your vet should offer — or you can ask for — an anti-anxiety drug for your pet. For extremely stressed cats, the kindest option is often a few puffs of gas anaesthesia (think nitrous gas for the anxious dental patient), rather than unnecessarily harsh restraint for an already over-stressed patient.

You can also enquire whether the veterinary clinic uses synthetic feline facial pheromones to help calm cat patients. These pheromones, known to help many cats cope with stressful situations, come in diffusers that can be plugged into exam rooms. They can also be sprayed on tables, towels and hands.

Pain medication for cats requires special knowledge and careful attention. For example, certain opioids (narcotic pain killers) cause fewer side effects than others, and most NSAIDs (non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) must be avoided in cats. Use caution against allowing your pet to be over-medicated, whether it’s with vaccines, antibiotics, Prednisone therapy, flea and tick preventives, or any other pharmaceutical or pesticide agent that carries the potential for side effects.

Alternative Therapies for Pain Relief

Depending on the cause of your cat’s pain, there are a number of healing modalities that used alone or in conjunction with pain relieving drugs, can make a tremendous difference in how your pet feels and his overall quality of life.

Here are a few of these therapies:

Veterinary chiropractic care. Chiropractic treatments can be very effective in alleviating pain and reducing joint degeneration.
Pet massage can reduce inflammation and pain in damaged tissues.
Acupuncture and prolotherapy can be tremendously beneficial for Cats with degenerative joint disease.
Adequan injections can stimulate joint fluid very rapidly in pets with arthritis.
Adding certain supplements to your pet’s diet can provide the raw materials for cartilage repair and maintenance, among them:
Glucosamine sulfate and Egg Shell Membrane
Homeopathic Rhus Tox and Arnica
Omega-3 fats, such as krill oil
Ubiquinol and turmeric
Supergreen foods, such as Spirulina and Astaxanthin
Natural anti-inflammatory formula’s (herbs, proteolytic enzymes, such as Wobenzym® and nutraceuticals)
EFAC complex

Often, once we discover the most effective alternative treatments for Cats with chronic pain conditions, we are able to gradually reduce or even eliminate the need for pain killing drugs. Love your Cat!

By Zoe Vanderbilt  B.Sc Pet.Psy