Download Cat Owner Factsheet* (PDF)
*Factsheet may be freely reproduced as long as it is used in its entirety without alterations.
Trust Your Instincts. If you think your cat is in pain, it probably is.
Minimizing animal pain, wherever possible, is important both ethically and
legally. Consult your vet as appropriate.
Signs to Look for:
Some Changes in Appearance
-
Apprehensive facial expression
- Creased forehead
- Ungroomed appearance
Some Changes in Behavior
-
Crying, yowling, growling, or hissing if
approached or made to move
- Hiding or separating itself from other cats
- Seeming unusually
quiet
- Incessant licking
- Lack of appetite
Some Changes in Posture or Movement
-
Limping or holding up a limb with no attempt
to use it
- Stiff and abnormal posture, varying with the
site of pain:
- Pain is in the head or ears can cause a
cat to tilt its head toward the affected
side.
- Generalized pain in the thorax and
abdomen might cause a cat to appear
crouched or hunched.
- If the pain is thoracic, a cat
might extend its head, neck,
and body.
- A cat with abdominal or back
pain might stand or lie on its
side with its back arched or walk
with a stilted gait.
