Facial expressions of pain in cats: the development and validation of a Feline Grimace Scale

Grimace scales have been used for pain assessment in different species. This study aimed to develop and validate the Feline Grimace Scale (FGS) to detect naturally-occurring acute pain. Thirty-five client-owned and twenty control cats were video-recorded undisturbed in their cages in a prospective,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific reports 2019-12, Vol.9 (1), p.19128-11, Article 19128
Main Authors: Evangelista, Marina C., Watanabe, Ryota, Leung, Vivian S. Y., Monteiro, Beatriz P., O’Toole, Elizabeth, Pang, Daniel S. J., Steagall, Paulo V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
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Acute Pain - diagnosis
Acute Pain - veterinary
Analgesia
Analgesics
Animals
Case-Control Studies
Cats
Facial Expression
Female
Humanities and Social Sciences
Male
multidisciplinary
Observer Variation
Pain
Pain - diagnosis
Pain - veterinary
Pain Management
Pain Measurement - methods
Pain Measurement - veterinary
Pain perception
Prospective Studies
Reproducibility of Results
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
Translational Medical Research
Vibrissae
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Summary:Grimace scales have been used for pain assessment in different species. This study aimed to develop and validate the Feline Grimace Scale (FGS) to detect naturally-occurring acute pain. Thirty-five client-owned and twenty control cats were video-recorded undisturbed in their cages in a prospective, case-control study. Painful cats received analgesic treatment and videos were repeated one hour later. Five action units (AU) were identified: ear position, orbital tightening, muzzle tension, whiskers change and head position. Four observers independently scored (0–2 for each AU) 110 images of control and painful cats. The FGS scores were higher in painful than in control cats; a very strong correlation with another validated instrument for pain assessment in cats was observed (rho = 0.86, p  0.91), and excellent internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.89). The FGS detected response to analgesic treatment (scores after analgesia were lower than before) and a cut-off score was determined (total pain score > 0.39 out of 1.0). The FGS is a valid and reliable tool for acute pain assessment in cats.
ISSN:2045-2322
2045-2322
DOI:10.1038/s41598-019-55693-8