Nobody wants to see their pets in pain, no matter the reason. And like humans, our four-legged friends can live with chronic pain – and this can have a number of different causes. However, it’s not always easy to work out whether a condition a cat has causes them chronic pain; there are plenty of things we don’t yet know about chronic pain in cats.
Scientists at Université de Montréal have worked out how to scan the brains of cats while they’re awake, something that could help us investigate chronic pain in cats in further detail – it’s quite common in adult cats, particularly as they get older.
When cats are tested for chronic pain from conditions like osteoarthritis, cats often shake off and chew the wired electrodes placed on their heads to produce electroencephalograms, or EEGs. As a result, cat sedatives are often needed.
However, researchers led by Éric Troncy and Aude Castel of UdeM's Groupe de recherche en pharmacologie animale du Québec have published a study in the Journal of Neuroscience Methods in which they report a new technique to keep the electrodes in place – simply concealing them under crocheted caps.
They tested the technique with 11 adult cats who all have osteoarthritis. They assessed their stress and pain through stimuli passed through the electrodes, before exposing the cats to soothing stimuli like colored lights and comforting smells.
The authors conclude that the study “opens new avenues for investigating feline chronic pain and its potential modulation through sensory interventions,” while co-author Aliénor Delsart, a PhD student, has presented preliminary results of the team’s work to the Royal Society of Medicine in London.
Troncy said, “We now plan to obtain NSERC – Alliance funding, in partnership with private companies, to enable us to establish a genuine EEG signature for chronic pain, and many other applications that will enable us to automate chronic pain detection in the future.”
So, while it’s still early days, this research could help us help our cats and give them the treatment and care they need to help manage their chronic pain.
If you’d like to know more about osteoarthritis, you might find a vet's guide to osteoarthritis in cats useful. And, as arthritis can develop and get worse over time, these 32 tips for taking care of senior cats may be worth taking note of, too.
