Is It Just Old Age? How to Spot Subtle Signs of Pain in Your Senior Cat

Watching our beloved cats grow older is a bittersweet journey. We cherish their calmer demeanor and extra cuddles, but we also notice the new gray hairs around their muzzle and the slightly slower pace. It’s natural to attribute every change to the simple process of aging. “They’re just slowing down,” we tell ourselves.

But what if it’s more than that? Cats are masters of hiding discomfort, a survival instinct from their wild ancestors. This means that chronic pain, especially from conditions like arthritis, is often misinterpreted as “just old age.” Learning to spot the subtle, non-vocal cues is one of the most important things we can do for our senior companions.

Here are four subtle changes that might indicate your senior cat is in pain.

1. Changes in Mobility and Accessibility

This is often the most obvious, yet most easily dismissed, sign. The cat who once leaped effortlessly to the top of the bookshelf now hesitates.

• What to look for: Does your cat avoid jumping up or down? Do they use furniture as a “staircase” to get to places they once reached in a single bound? Do they seem stiff when walking, especially after a nap, or struggle with stairs?
• Why tracking helps: Pain isn’t always constant. Noting the frequency and context of their stiffness—is it worse on cold mornings? a day after a playful session?—provides your vet with a valuable pattern to diagnose conditions like arthritis.

2. A Decline in Grooming Habits

A healthy cat is a fastidious groomer. When grooming becomes painful, the habit is often the first thing to go.

• What to look for: Is your cat’s coat looking unkempt, greasy, or matted, especially along their lower back and hips? These areas are hard to reach for a cat with a sore spine or arthritic joints. Conversely, are they over-grooming one specific spot, trying to soothe a localized pain?
• Why tracking helps: A gradual decline in grooming can be hard to notice day-to-day. Logging a quick observation once a week (“Coat looks a bit dull today”) can create a timeline that reveals a clear, long-term trend.

3. Shifts in Personality and Social Behavior

Is your sweet, sociable cat suddenly grumpy? Pain is a common cause of behavioral changes in senior pets.

• What to look for: Does your cat hiss or swat when you try to pet them in a certain spot? Are they hiding more and avoiding interaction with family members or other pets? Has their litter box aim suddenly gotten worse? (It can be painful to posture correctly in the box).
• Why tracking helps: Correlating a grumpy day with other subtle symptoms can be revealing. Maybe they only seem irritable on days they were less active, suggesting their pain was flaring up.

4. Altered Routines and Resting Spots

Cats are creatures of habit. A change in their established routine is often a sign they are adapting to physical discomfort.

• What to look for: Has your cat abandoned their favorite high-up sleeping spot for one on the floor? Do they no longer greet you at the door when you come home? Are they sleeping more, or in unusual positions?
• Why tracking helps: These are slow, incremental changes. By logging where your cat sleeps or their general energy level, you create a baseline. Over weeks or months, the data can clearly show a gradual but significant shift that signals a developing health issue.

Seeing the Trend is the Key

The challenge with chronic pain is that the signs are subtle and inconsistent. It’s not a single event, but a pattern of behavior over time. Relying on memory to spot these slow trends is almost impossible.

iKnowMyCat allows you to be the detective your senior cat needs.

By logging these small, seemingly unrelated observations—a moment of stiffness, a day of hiding, a week of poor grooming—you create a powerful health journal. This long-term data is exactly what your vet needs to differentiate “old age” from pain, leading to a proper diagnosis and an effective pain management plan that can dramatically improve your cat’s quality of life.

Download iKnowMyCat from the App Store and Google Play today.

*Disclaimer: This guide is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional veterinary advice. Always consult your veterinarian with any health concerns.