Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How US Cat Owners Spot Pain and Decide on Vet Care
By Kogan, Lori R et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2024·College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Behaviors suggestive of pain: the perceptions and veterinary-related decisions of cat guardians in the USA.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
Many cat owners may not realize when their pet is in pain, but a recent study found that after learning about pain signs in cats, guardians became more concerned and more likely to seek veterinary care. The study involved 362 cat owners who completed surveys about their perceptions of their cat's pain behaviors before and after receiving educational information. Most participants found a specific pain scale helpful for identifying their cat's pain and deciding whether to visit the vet. This suggests that even a little education can significantly improve how cat owners respond to their pet's pain signals, leading to better health outcomes for their cats.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to assess cat guardians' concern levels and veterinary care decisions pertaining to behaviors that might signify pain before and after receiving brief pain-related educational information. The secondary aims were to evaluate cat guardians' perceptions of the usefulness of a modified version of the Colorado State University Feline Acute Pain Scale (CSU-FAPS) in identifying their cat's pain level, determining if they should take their cat to the veterinarian and describing their cat's pain to their veterinarian. METHODS: Participants were recruited through Prolific. An electronic survey was created in Qualtrics and distributed via a link offered in Prolific. RESULTS: A total of 362 surveys were completed by participants who resided in the USA and were the primary caretaker of at least one cat. Significant differences between participants' concern levels before and after pain-related educational information were found for two of the three scenarios. Significant differences were found between participants' veterinary-related behavior choices before and after pain-related educational information for all three scenarios. The most common reasons for not seeking immediate veterinary care included elements related to cost and stress for guardian and cat during veterinary visits. The majority of participants reported finding the CSU-FAPS useful for identifying their cat's pain level (90%), determining if they should take their cat to the veterinarian (86%) and describing their cat's pain to their veterinarian (92%). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Guardians' interpretations of and subsequent actions to behaviors that might suggest pain carry great implications for feline health and wellbeing. After exposure to brief pain-related educational material, guardians in our study reported significant increases in stated concern related to their cat's change in behavior and intention to seek veterinary care. These findings suggest that even very brief pain-related educational material can have a positive impact on cat guardians' perceptions of feline behavior changes and increase the possibility they obtain appropriate veterinary care.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39387159/