Table 2.

Overview of feline acute pain assessment tools

	UNESP-Botucatu multidimensional feline pain assessment scale short form (UFEPS-SF)	Glasgow composite measure pain scale-feline (Glasgow CMPS-Feline)	Feline Grimace Scale
Components	✜ Posture ✜ Comfort ✜ Activity ✜ Attitude ✜ Reaction to touching and palpation	✜ Vocalisation ✜ Posture and activity ✜ Attention to wound ✜ Ear position ✜ Shape of muzzle ✜ Response to interaction with the observer ✜ Palpation of painful area ✜ Qualitative behaviour	‘Action units’: ✜ Ear position ✜ Orbital tightening ✜ Muzzle tension ✜ Whisker position ✜ Head position
How to use the tool	There are four questions (0-3). The sum of the scores for each question is the final score for that cat (total of 12 points). Evaluation starts with observation of the undisturbed cat. Then the cat is approached for evaluation of the remaining items	Each item is scored (scores vary from item to item). The sum of the scores for all eight items is the final score for that cat. Evaluation starts with observation of the undisturbed cat, including its facial expressions. Then the cat is approached for evaluation of the remaining items	Each action unit is rated from 0 to 2, where 0 = action unit is absent; 1 = moderate appearance of the action unit, or uncertainty over its presence or absence; and 2 = obvious appearance of the action unit. Non-visible action units are not scored. The final score is the sum of scores divided by the number of scored action units
Validation of tool	Comprehensive validity, reliability, sensitivity and sensibility in cats with postoperative pain following ovariohysterectomy	Evidence of construct validity and responsiveness in cats with a variety of painful conditions	Shown to be valid and reliable in cats with varied painful conditions in both real-time and image assessment, and in cats before and after dental extractions. The tool is not affected by the presence of a caregiver nor by the administration of acepromazine-buprenorphine. Inter-observer reliability has been reported for cat owners, veterinary nurses, and students and veterinarians
Intervention score *	≥4/12	≥5/20	≥0.4/1.0
Comments	Can be used for both medical and surgical pain with reported validity. The short-form instrument overcomes the limitations of the previous long form	Easy and quick to use	Reported high discriminative ability, good overall inter-observer reliability, excellent intra-rater reliability and excellent internal consistency. Easy and quick to use
Source	Video-based training on feline acute pain and use of the scale is available in the Animal Pain website	newmetrica.com/acute-pain-measurement/download-pain-questionnaire-for-cats	felinegrimacescale.com

Adapted from Steagall (2020) ²⁷

^*‘Cut-off’ value at which point administration of analgesia is required; note a veterinarian may administer rescue intervention when the cut-off is not reached if it is considered that the cat may be in pain

UNESP = Universidade Estadual Paulista; UFEPS = UNESP Feline Pain Scale