How to Tell If Your Cat Is in Pain: Signs Every Owner Should Know

ByClaire

Cats are famously stoic creatures — and that is not just a personality quirk. If your cat is hurting, there is a good chance they are actively concealing it, making your job as an owner both important and surprisingly tricky.

Why Cats Conceal Pain

To understand feline pain, it helps to think like a wild cat. As mid-level predators, cats occupy an uncomfortable position on the food chain: they hunt, but they are also hunted. Showing vulnerability — limping, whimpering, lying still — can attract larger predators. Evolution has wired domestic cats with the same instinct to suppress outward signs of injury or illness, even when they are perfectly safe on your sofa.

This survival strategy creates a real challenge for owners. By the time a cat openly displays distress, the discomfort may already be significant. Learning the subtle, early signals is therefore one of the most valuable things a cat owner can do.

Behavioral Changes: The First Clues

Behavior is often the first and most telling window into a cat’s wellbeing. Since cats cannot tell you where it hurts, they communicate through what they do — and stop doing — every day. The key is to know your own cat’s baseline, because every individual is different.

Withdrawal and Hiding

A cat in pain will frequently retreat. If your usually sociable companion is suddenly spending most of the day tucked under the bed or behind the washing machine, pay attention. Unusual hiding is one of the most consistent early signals of feline discomfort, and one that owners sometimes dismiss as quirky behavior.

Reduced Activity and Changed Movement

Watch for a reluctance to jump, climb, or use stairs your cat once navigated easily. A cat suffering from arthritis or musculoskeletal pain may stop leaping onto the kitchen counter or using the upper levels of their cat tree — not out of laziness, but because movement has become painful. A stiff or careful gait, or an outright limp, are more obvious red flags.

Changes in Grooming

Pain disrupts grooming in two opposing ways. A cat may over-groom a painful area, licking it obsessively to the point of creating bald patches or irritated skin — a response to localised discomfort. Alternatively, a cat in significant systemic pain may stop grooming altogether, resulting in a dull, matted, or unkempt coat that is very out of character for a normally fastidious animal.

Aggression or Withdrawal from Touch

A normally gentle cat that suddenly hisses, bites, or swats when you touch a certain area is giving you clear information. Even a cat that simply moves away when petted — when they would ordinarily enjoy it — may be guarding a tender spot. This is not a personality change; it is communication.

Changes in Appetite and Litter Box Use

Reduced interest in food is a classic sign that something is wrong, and pain is a common culprit. Litter box behavior is equally significant: a cat experiencing abdominal pain or joint stiffness may avoid the box entirely because climbing in is too uncomfortable, or may adopt an unusual squatting posture when using it.

Vocalization

Cats in acute pain sometimes vocalize more than usual — yowling, growling, or hissing, especially when a sore spot is touched. That said, many cats in chronic pain go quieter rather than louder, so the absence of crying is no guarantee that all is well.

Physical Signs to Look For

Beyond behavior, a cat’s body often broadcasts discomfort if you know where to look.

  • Hunched or tense posture: A cat holding itself tight and rounded — back arched, legs pulled close to the body — is often protecting a painful area, particularly in the abdomen.
  • Rapid or shallow breathing: Accelerated breathing at rest, when the cat is neither hot nor stressed, can indicate significant pain.
  • Elevated heart rate: Physiological changes including increased heart and respiratory rates are documented acute pain responses in cats, though these are typically measured by a vet during examination.
  • Sensitivity to touch: Flinching, tensing, or vocalizing when a particular body region is gently palpated is a clear signal worth investigating.
  • Coat and skin changes: Neglected grooming leaves the coat dull, greasy, or matted — a meaningful departure from the norm in most cats.

Reading Your Cat’s Face

One of the most significant advances in feline medicine in recent years is the recognition that cats express pain in their facial features, much as humans and other mammals do. Researchers at the Université de Montréal published a landmark 2019 study in Scientific Reports identifying a set of reliable facial changes — called action units — that appear consistently in cats experiencing pain.

These key facial indicators include:

  • Orbital tightening: The eyes narrow to a squint or close more than usual.
  • Ear position: The ears flatten or rotate outward and downward, increasing the visible distance between the ear tips compared to a relaxed cat.
  • Muzzle tension: The area around the nose and cheeks becomes tight or drawn.
  • Whisker change: Whiskers may stiffen, bunch together, or shift position.
  • Head position: The head may be carried lower than normal, or slightly tucked inward toward the body.

The Feline Grimace Scale

Building on that 2019 research, the Feline Grimace Scale (FGS) is now a widely adopted, freely available tool that both veterinarians and owners can use to assess acute pain at home or in the clinic. Each of the five facial action units described above is scored from 0 (not present) to 2 (clearly obvious), giving a total score out of 10. A score of 4 or higher generally indicates that pain relief intervention is warranted.

The FGS is publicly available at felinegrimacescale.com and is supported by a free mobile app. While originally developed for acute pain settings, it gives owners a structured, evidence-based reference point rather than pure guesswork. The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior has highlighted the tool as a valuable resource for helping owners detect feline discomfort earlier than they otherwise might.

Acute Pain vs. Chronic Pain

It is useful to distinguish between the two main types of pain a cat may experience. Acute pain comes on suddenly — after an injury, surgery, or acute illness — and often produces more obvious signs: vocalizing, limping, or guarding a specific area. Chronic pain, such as that caused by arthritis, dental disease, or long-term organ conditions, tends to develop gradually. The signals are subtler — a slow reduction in activity, less playfulness, a preference for lower sleeping spots — and are frequently mistaken for normal aging. Older cats in particular are often under-diagnosed for chronic pain, because owners (and sometimes clinicians) attribute the changes to simply getting old rather than to treatable discomfort.

Dental disease deserves special mention: it is one of the most common and under-recognized sources of chronic pain in cats, and many affected cats continue eating, masking the problem for months or even years.

When to Call the Vet

If you notice any of the signs above — especially several together, or a change that persists beyond 24 to 48 hours — contact your veterinarian. Bring a short video of the behaviors you have observed at home if possible; cats frequently suppress symptoms in the clinical environment, and footage of their normal behavior can be invaluable to a diagnosing vet.

One critical warning: never give your cat human pain medications such as ibuprofen, aspirin, or paracetamol (acetaminophen). These drugs are toxic to cats and can cause severe organ damage or death even in small doses. A veterinarian can diagnose the underlying cause of pain and prescribe safe, feline-appropriate pain management.

FAQ

Can a cat be in pain without showing any obvious signs?

Yes. Because of their instinct to suppress vulnerability, cats — especially those with slowly developing chronic conditions — can endure significant pain while appearing outwardly normal. Subtle shifts like slightly reduced play, altered sleeping spots, or minor grooming changes may be the only clues. This is why regular veterinary check-ups are essential, particularly for cats over seven years old.

Do cats cry when they are in pain?

Some cats do vocalize more during acute pain — yowling, growling, or hissing — but this is far from universal. Many cats in chronic pain actually become quieter rather than louder. Relying solely on vocalization to detect pain in cats is unreliable; behavioral and postural changes are generally more consistent indicators across the feline population.

What conditions most commonly cause pain in cats?

Dental disease is among the most prevalent and most overlooked sources of chronic feline pain. Osteoarthritis is also extremely common, particularly in middle-aged and senior cats. Other frequent causes include urinary tract conditions, ear infections, injuries, and internal illnesses such as pancreatitis or kidney disease — all of which can produce chronic discomfort that owners may not immediately associate with pain.

Is it safe to give my cat human pain medication?

No — it can be life-threatening. Medications like ibuprofen, naproxen, and paracetamol are toxic to cats and can cause kidney failure, liver damage, and death. Always consult a veterinarian before administering any medication to your cat; there are safe, effective pain relief options specifically formulated for felines.

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