Detecting Discomfort in Cats
- Dr. Daniel McClair
- Apr 1
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 2
Is your cat trying to tell you something?
You know your cat better than anyone. You know which spot they like to be scratched, when they're feeling social, and when they'd rather be left alone. That familiarity is actually one of the most valuable tools in keeping them healthy, because when something is off, you're often the first to notice.
The challenge is that cats are naturally wired to hide discomfort. It's an instinct rooted in survival, and it means that by the time pain becomes obvious, it's often been present for a while. The subtle changes that show up earliest, a shift in how they move, a change in their appetite, spending more time in unusual spots, these can be easy to miss or dismiss as just "a phase."
That's why we're always encouraging our clients to trust their gut. If something feels different, it probably is.
What to watch for at home
The signs of pain in cats are rarely dramatic. More often they show up as quiet changes in day-to-day behaviour, the kind that are easiest to spot in a familiar home environment, not in an exam room where stress can suppress them.
Here are some of the most common things worth paying attention to:
Sign | What to look for |
Appetite | Changes in how much they eat or how often they visit the food bowl |
Thirst | Drinking noticeably more or less than usual |
Touch | Avoiding contact, or becoming irritable or reactive when touched in areas they normally enjoy |
Mobility | Slow, hesitant, or stiff movements; reluctance to jump, climb, or use the stairs |
Grooming | A dull, matted, or unkempt coat from undergrooming — or overgrooming concentrated in one spot |
Litter box | Accidents outside the box, especially if they occur close to it |
Hiding | Seeking out unusual spots or spending more time out of sight than normal |
Energy | Less interest in activity, seeming tired or withdrawn |
Mood | Appearing disoriented, restless, confused, or not quite themselves |
Vocalizations | Excessive meowing, persistent crying, yowling, or going unusually quiet — and worth noting, purring isn't always a sign of contentment |
Play | Decreased interest in play or not responding to favourite toys |
Posture | Crouching, hunching, lowering the head, or sitting in an unusual way — favouring one side or sticking a leg out |
None of these signs on their own means something is definitely wrong. But one or more changes that persist or seem out of character for your cat is always worth a conversation with our team.
A simple habit that makes a big difference
One of the most practical things you can do is keep a loose record of your cat's normal; what they typically eat, how much they move, where they sleep, how they interact with you. When you have a sense of their baseline, changes become much easier to spot and much easier to describe when you call us.
More recently, the Feline Grimace Scale was developed as a way to more consistently assess pain in cats by evaluating five key facial features: ear position, eye (orbital) tightening, muzzle tension, whisker position, and head position. Cats in discomfort often show ears rotated outward or flattened, partially or fully squinted eyes, a tense or flattened muzzle, whiskers that are stiff or directed forward, and a lowered head position. Each feature is scored based on how much it deviates from normal, helping provide a more objective way to recognize subtle signs of pain that might otherwise be missed.
While the Feline Grimace Scale is a valuable tool, applying it accurately does take some practice and a trained eye. That's where the mobile app Sylvester comes in, making it easy for any caregiver to check their cat's comfort at home, no expertise required. We've recently partnered with Sylvester to supports exactly that kind of at-home monitoring. Using computer vision and recognized feline pain science, Sylvester can help provide additional insights into your cat's comfort levels from a single photo, providing objective insights that help you stay in tune with subtle changes over time, and giving you something concrete to share with our team at your next visit.
When you sign up through the link below, your assessments are connected directly to our team here at Nova Vet so we can see them too — making it easier for us to spot patterns and have more informed conversations about your cat's care.
Start monitoring your cat at home by clicking the link below and entering code NOVAVET:
As always, if something doesn't feel right, don't wait for the next scheduled visit. Reach out right away — that's what we're here for.
Below, we have a downloadable resource — 10 signs of pain to watch for at home — to keep on hand as a quick reference.
Comments