Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Background: Osteoarthritis is understood to be a common cause of pain and dysfunction in cats; however there are few validated pain assessment methods for chronic pain in cats. In order to design a proper pain questionnaire, it usability need to be tested in both sound and sick cats.

Aim: The aim was to investigate the usability of the pain questionnaire ”Lifestyle changes in cats” by compiling the results from the pain questionnaire reflecting the lifestyle in 30 healthy cats and compare it to the results from a clinical examination, as well as proposing improvements and additions to the questionnaire based on a literature review.

Material and method: 30 healthy cats participated in the pilot study; the pet owner filled out a pain questionnaire with 16 questions regarding their cat´s behavioral and eventual changes in behavior and physical function. Thereafter the cat walked over a pressure measurement mat and finally underwent an orthopedic-directed clinical examination.
The literature was found on Web of Knowledge, PubMed, Sciencedirect, and Google Scholar and also with the help of my supervisors. Keywords: Feline; Osteoarthritis; Pain; Therapeutic diet; Degenerative joint disease.

Result: The results from the pain questionnaire ”Lifestyle changes in cats” show that the answers from cat owners correspond with the results from the clinical orthopedic examination. The literature review did not result in any additions to the pain questionnaire.

Discussion: The results from the study indicate that the pain questionnaire ”Lifestyle changes in cats” has good usability in sound cats. The high prevalence and low awareness of osteoarthritis in cats requires further research regarding its usability in cats with chronic pain, in order to enable adequate pain treatment and relief in cats.