ArticleScientific reports2019
Facial expressions of pain in cats: the development and validation of a Feline Grimace Scale.
Article in Scientific reports, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 126 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
126 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- 2025 FelineVMA feline oral health and dental care guidelines.Journal of feline medicine and surgery · 2025Guideline
- Measurement properties of pain scoring instruments in farm animals: A systematic review using the COSMIN checklist.PloS one · 2023Pooled it
- "Do not look at me like that": Is the facial expression score reliable and accurate to evaluate pain in large domestic animals? A systematic review.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2022Pooled it
- Grimace scale, burrowing, and nest building for the assessment of post-surgical pain in mice and rats-A systematic review.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2022Pooled it
- Effects of pregabalin added to a multimodal anesthetic protocol in cats undergoing ovariohysterectomy.Frontiers in veterinary science · 2026Trial
- Descriptive, comparative, and functional anatomy of the facial musculature in cattle (Bos taurus).Anatomical record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007) · 2026Article
- Giant Hepatobiliary Cystadenoma Requiring Biliary Reconstruction in a Cat: A Case Report.Veterinary medicine and science · 2026Article
- Tail-rattling in rodents: more than a threat display.Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology · 2026Review
- Assessing Cat Welfare: A Literature Review on Behavioural, Physiological and Health Parameters with a Focus on Animal-Assisted Services (AAS).Veterinary sciences · 2026Review
- PMTNet: A Part-Centric Missing-Aware Temporal Network for Cat Behavior Recognition in Unconstrained Videos.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- The effects of observer gender on feline acute pain assessment using three pain scoring instruments.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Client experience and owner-reported functional recovery after feline orthopedic surgery: A structural equation model of loyalty and recommendation intentions.Open veterinary journal · 2026Article
- Erector spinae plane block with bupivacaine contributes to intraoperative opioid sparing but provides limited postoperative pain control in cats undergoing elective ovariohysterectomy under continuous propofol infusion.Veterinary research communications · 2026Article
- A systematic review of acute pain scoring instruments and their measurement properties in cats and dogs.Journal of veterinary internal medicine · 2026Article
- The Complexity of Communication in Mammals: From Social and Emotional Mechanisms to Human Influence and Multimodal Applications.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Review
- Comparison of open ovariectomy with sutures or bipolar vessel sealing versus laparoscopic approach in cats.Veterinary research communications · 2026Article
- Behavioral assessment of pain in rodents: advances from evoked responses to spontaneous states and multimodal approaches.Frontiers in pain research (Lausanne, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Challenges using the Feline Grimace Scale in brachycephalic cats with ocular pain.Journal of feline medicine and surgery · 2026Article
- Acute pain sign recognition by dog owners in a home setting.PloS one · 2026Article
- Efficacy of combined grapiprant and tapentadol for analgesia in cats undergoing elective ovariohysterectomy.Journal of feline medicine and surgery · 2026Article
66 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
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 < 0.001) as well as good overall inter-rater reliability [ICC = 0.89 (95% CI: 0.85-0.92)], excellent intra-rater reliability (ICC > 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.
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