This is how you know if your cat is in pain

5. September, 2023

This is how you know if your cat is in pain

How do I tell if my cat is hurting and in pain?

That’s a good question, because it’s not easy to tell if your cat is in pain. In fact, research shows that most of us can’t tell if a cat is in pain.

It will in many cases try to hide it.

It is of course not to be overlooked if your otherwise cuddly cat turns its head and hisses at you, bites or runs away when you pat it down the back. But cats, like people, can have pain that is not related to a specific injury.

And how do you discover if the cat has pain in the head, bones or muscles? Or if it has a stomach ache?

How to tell if your cat is in pain

If we ask science, the safest thing to do is look at your cat’s behavior and body language.

If your cat is in acute pain, it may appear depressed and quiet, as well as not wanting to move.

It may seem tense and try to hide. The cat does not respond to petting or attention. Some cats become manic and aggressive, growling and hissing and rolling around.

Many of the signs that your cat is in pain are subtle. And because they don’t come from one day to the next, you might think that they are just signs that your cat is no longer quite young.

Here are some signs to look out for:

The cat stops grooming its own fur. It hesitates to jump up on its favorite spots. It starts feeding outside its litter box. Some cats start to limp. It sleeps more and more.

How to help your cat with less pain

If your cat is in pain, you can help it in several ways until the vet’s pain treatment works. Because just as for humans, care has an effect on how much the cat thinks something hurts.

Pain is an emotional and subjective state. A cat that is freezing, wet, scared, hungry, thirsty or unable to empty its bladder suffers more than an animal that is warm, comfortable, well fed and safe.

If your cat has to go to the animal hospital, you can give it its toys or blanket from home. The same if it has a favorite basket it usually sleeps in. Because a safe cat has less pain than a scared cat.

If your cat has symptoms, you should take it to the vet. The vet can investigate whether your cat is doing something wrong that is causing him chronic pain.

You may not realize how impaired your cat was until you see how well it does after receiving the proper treatment from the vet.