Mostly cats do an excellent job of hiding their pain, but, there are lots of signs you can look for that could indicate possible pain in your cat. If you have a good idea of your cat’s normal attitude, energy level, gait, appetite, thirst, sleep patterns, and other physical and behavioural patterns this will be very easy for you to identify once you know what to look for.
What are the changes you will observe in your cat?
You will be able to notice the changes in its overall behaviour. Here are some of those signs to observe carefully,
- Biting and scratching – Cats in pain are more likely to bite and scratch even with their owners and other familiar people. This is particularly true when a person touches the painful area.
- Breathing changes – Cats in pain may have a faster and shallow breathing pattern than normal. They may also pant. You may notice a change in the movement of the abdominal muscles or the chest muscles or both. As both of these sets of muscles are involved in the breathing process.
- Heart and pulse changes – Painful cats will often have an increased heart/pulse rate. The rate often noticeably speeds up when the painful area is touched or moved. Ask your veterinarian to check and measure your cat’s heart and pulse rate.
- Purring – Just because your cat is purring does not mean it is not in pain. If your cat is purring while showing any of these signs here, the purring may be pain related. Purring may actually increase if a cat is experiencing pain.
- Eye changes – The eyes can be strong indicators of pain in cats. This is true both for eye pain and for pain anywhere in their body. Mostly pain in the body will result in larger dilated pupils but pain in the eye can result in smaller constricted pupils, depending on the injury or disease and whether one or both eyes are affected. Squinting may indicate pain, either in the squinting eye or elsewhere in the body. A bloodshot eye can indicate pain in the affected eye.
- Food and water changes – Cats in pain mostly eat and drink less.
- Grooming changes – You may see an overall decreased amount of self-grooming in a cat experiencing pain or illness.
- Energy levels – Cats in pain will show a decrease in their activity level like, a cat who sleeps more, who runs or jumps less than normal. Many cats hide when they are in pain, choosing to spend time under beds or couches or in closets. Be sure to check for hiding, as it’s often a very telling sign.
- Mobility changes – Cats experiencing pain often move around less. They may go more slowly up or down the stairs or be less eager to jump the way they used to.
Always Remember
- It’s important to talk or see your veterinarian when you notice your cat is in pain.
- It is important to find the cause of pain and appropriately treated and managed to avoid tragedy.
- Many pet owners have inadvertently caused toxicity or further injury to their cat by self-prescribing medications without first checking with your vet.
- Please don’t be self-proclaimed doctors!
That’s certainly a pain and heartbreak you don’t want to bring upon your cat and yourself!
