HOW TO RECOGNIZE PAIN IN CATS
Cats are masters at hiding pain and discomfort. They won’t complain or draw attention to the problem like a human will. Dogs hide their pain as well.
As a result, cats can suffer from an ailment for a long time before we notice something is wrong. Luckily, there are other signals that can tell us our cat is in pain. As cat owners,
it is important that we learn how to read our cat’s body language and behavior so we can quickly recognize pain and get appropriate help.
WHY DO CATS HIDE PAIN
Hiding pain and discomfort caused by injury or disease is natural cat behavior. This is instinctive reaction is part of feline survival strategy. In a wild cat colony a weak cat loses status
and power. This means the weak cat will have to survive on less food, have to give up the best hunting grounds and drinking places. The cat will be chased away from the safest, sleeping spots. Stronger cats in the colony pose a threat to its survival. Another reason cats hide pain has to do with their feeding pattern. Cats have to eat every day. Wild cats have to hunt every day. Even when they are sick or in pain they still have to hunt to ensure their survival.
KNOW YOUR CATS NORMAL BEHAVIOR
When cats fall ill or when they experience pain they show subtle or sometimes drastic changes in behavior. They can even adopt completely new behavior. Often cat owners don’t notice something is wrong until the cat’s behavior changes so drastically that it becomes disruptive. For example, the cat suddenly acts aggressively or starts doing its business outside the litter box. Even then, some owners think their cat is just acting out – behaving badly. More often than not, however, they don’t associate the cat’s behavior with discomfort.
CHANGES IN BEHAVIOR
Changes from normal behavior can include being:
Less playful
More withdrawn
Less clean
Less active
More withdrawn
Eating and /or drinking less and sleep changes