Hi everyone! It's Milda here again from Relax My Cat channel
And today I want to tell you all about how you can tell if your cat is in pain
It can be extremely challenging sometimes to know whether your cat is in pain or not
That is because they have learnt to hide it so well
It stems from their origins and their basic survival skills
Because in the wild an injured animal is an animal that is vulnerable to attack
However, there are certain signs that certainly say that a cat is in pain.
So let's look at them
One thing that you might notice about a cat being in pain is that you don't notice them anymore
Cats in pain tend to hide and move around less
So their mobility might decrease as well
If you see that your cat is struggling to go up and down the stairs, if previously they were very active
Then perhaps it is a sign that they are in pain
You might see a change in your cat's grooming habits
As they might clean a lot less now because it might be
Painful for them to contort themselves in all those difficult yoga positions
Cat that stopped using the litter box could be a cat that is in pain
For cats to climb that extra 4-4,5 inches could be extremely painful
So they might just use, go to the bathroom outside the litter box
As well as that, pain can lead to slowed motility of the intestines
And that in itself can lead to constipation
Also look for signs such as loss of appetite
Because a cat in pain can drink and eat a lot less
And excessive sleeping or sleeping only in one position
Changes in vocalisation or general changes of personality
Say for example if your cat is a lot more irritable or cranky
Especially if you touch certain areas where it might be painful for her
Remember, when you go to the vet's
They will often rely on your observations
Because only you know what is normal for your cat
Whereas the vet does not know your cat as well as you do
So just be observant
Don't ever give cats human painkillers. Cats metabolise drugs in a different way to all other species
So unless the painkillers that are given at the proper intervals and at the proper dose, they can be toxic to cats
And this is especially true with ibuprofein which is non-steroidal anti-inflamatory painkiller
Which can be deadly to cats
There were actually some instances where people have killed their cats
Obviously accidentally, by self prescribing their medication
So it is very important that you don't do that unless you are instructed by your vet to give your cat medication
While some pain is related to pain or injury that can be easily treated and resolved
In older cats pain tends to relate to conditions such as arthritis, which causes chronic pain
There was a study at Texas A&M University that looked at cats that were brought to vet for many different reasons but pain
And it showed that 90% of those cats over the age of 10 had x-ray evidence of painful arthritis
So they were in pain but their owners did not know anything about it
However, when you know what to look for it is much easier to see it
Signs of chronic pain are almost exclusively behavioural in nature
So it is important to monitor your cat's behaviour very closely.
Pain can have many different causes, such as operation, wound inflammation, infection
Many different things
But the general rule of thumb is, think about it, if it would be painful for you, it is painful for your cat
And no animal should suffer in silence
So, the first step is to identify the pain and the to contact your veterinarian
And this is it guys! So thank you for watching and I do hope that you have found this helpful.
If you have any comments, questions maybe suggestions on what you would like me to talk about next
Please comment
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