Vet 101: The Ow in Meow

It’s every pet parent’s worst nightmare: seeing your beloved cat in pain. The only thing worse, is not knowing your cat is in pain. Learning how to Detecting pet pain is this week’s topic for our vet Dr. Rich Goldstein. He’ll be visiting us this Friday. More about that on Saturday.

Question: If cats are masters of hiding symptoms (even purr when injured), how can caregivers detect the subtle symptoms of pain? How do you as vet determine levels of pain? What are treatment options for chronic pain management?

Answer: Pain can manifest itself in many different ways. Not all animals that are in pain will cry. Cats especially are notorious for keeping their discomfort to themselves (kind of like Grandma, when she says, “I’ll suffer in silence”). So, it is up to us to recognize the potential signs of discomfort so that we can help.

I am a big proponent of teaching my clients how to do a physical exam on their cats at home. A great professor of mine at Cornell, Dr. Alexander de la Hunta, had a saying he pounded into his students: “You gotta know the normal before you know the abnormal.” If we know what’s normal for our cat, we can immediately spot when that changes. It’s those subtle changes that can clue us in that something’s bothering our kitties. I recently appeared on the television series “Pet keeping With Marc Morrone”, and we spent an entire segment examining pets from nose to tail. It takes 5 minutes, and should be done at least once or twice a month. The next time you’re at the vet’s watch how he or she does an exam, and ask him or her to teach you how to do a quick exam at home.

Here is a “quick list” of signs your kitty may be uncomfortable:

• Hiding
• Lethargic (not as energetic as usual, or sleeping more than normal)
• Not eating (this is a biggie, especially if your cat usually attacks the food bowl)
• Groaning
• Shivering
• Biting (especially if he’s not an aggressive cat)
• Limping
• Changes in body position, especially while sitting, laying down, or walking
• Behavioral changes

The recognition of pain also depends on the body part that is affected. For example, if a cat has a bad tooth, you may notice she suddenly becomes “head shy”, or seems to be chewing on only one side of her mouth. I recently saw a kitty whose person complained that the cat suddenly, after ten years, started lying on her back with her feet stretched out. It turned out that the cat had bladder stones, and that position relieved the discomfort in her bladder!

There are many options available now for pain management in cats, especially for chronic pain (most often associated with arthritis). Pain is generated from many different neurologic and inflammatory pathways in the body. So it makes sense that more than one method of treatment may be necessary for pain management (called the “multimodal approach” to pain management). Three basic groups of pain management options include: medications (antiinflammatories and analgesics), nutriceuticals (vitamins and supplements, like glucosamine, omega fatty acids, and homeopathic remedies), and physical therapies (like massage, exercises, and acupuncture).

It’s important to talk to your vet about any concerns you may have about possible signs of pain in your cat, and come up with a plan that incorporates a combination of methods to keep your kitty as pain-free as possible.

Editor’s note: Another way to know what is normal before it’s abnormal is daily contact via petting, massage and play.