Feline Grimace Scale Training

Our Veterinary Welfare Training Program (VWTP) advocates for the incorporation of the best animal welfare practices in veterinary procedures, to ensure that our animal patients do not suffer unnecessarily throughout their treatment.

Do you know how to recognise pain in your cat?

Whether you are a veterinary professional or a cat caretaker, recognizing pain is one of the most difficult things to do. We assume that cats can’t communicate their pain, but in fact, they are communicating – we just have to listen. In this case, ‘listening’ to cats means looking at their facial features using the Feline Grimace Scale.

VWTP has been holding training sessions for cat lovers in China and Hong Kong to practice using this amazing tool.

Do animals feel pain like humans do?

Animals have the same nervous system as we do and therefore feel pain the same way as well. The only difference is the animals can suffer in silence while we vocalize our pain and discomfort and seek treatment. Cats especially, are hard-wired to hide weakness and they can mask signs of pain very well.

We have so much more information now, through recent scientific research, that there’s no question that every animal feels pain the same as humans.

Why is treating pain important?

If your cat recently had a surgical procedure and is quietly resting, you may not know that he or she is suffering from pain. However, there is a lot going on internally with regards to the signals that are being transmitted from the surgery site to the brain. Pain causes animals (and people!) to be cranky, withdraw and often, to become aggressive, even towards beloved family members. We now know that by not treating this post-surgical pain, your cat is at great risk of developing long-term pain in the future.

We can all think of a cranky old cat that bites for no reason – but what if that reason is pain?