Cats' pain hard to judge

Sick or injured cats often receive less pain relief than dogs because vets find it harder to judge their degree of suffering.

Veterinary anaesthesia expert Sanaa Zaki told the annual scientific meeting of the Australian and NZ College of Anaesthetists in Adelaide there was little doubt animals suffered pain in the same way as humans but vets' management of that had advanced significantly in the past 15 years.

Twenty years ago, it was extremely rare for any cat or dog to receive pain relief after surgery.

Because animals could not communicate their pain levels, vets relied on physiological and behavioural responses that usually accompanied pain, she said.

"Pain is one condition that veterinarians sometimes choose to treat or ignore based on their clinical experience, rather than any scientific evidence."

Dogs were more vocal and overt in demonstrating signs of pain than cats, she said.

"The end result is that cats in general receive less pain relief than dogs."