Historically, cats have been undertreated for pain. Although there have been many advances in this area, veterinary professionals continue to be challenged by pain recognition and assessment in their feline patients. Pain is a multidimensional experience and thus assessment should incorporate an interactive and non-interactive approach, focusing on behavioural responses. Scoring systems available to assess acute post-operative pain in cats, assist in identifying and recording pain responses, in addition to standardising methods of assessment. This article provides a guide to recognising and assessing indicators of acute pain in feline patients and the practical use of scoring systems within a veterinary practice.

Lyndsay Barratt -