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24 Today's Veterinary Practice May/June 2014 tvpjournal.com A t some point in a cat's life, it will most likely suffer from pain related to an injury, disease, or surgery, and veterinarians have a duty to try to alleviate this pain. In the January/February 2014 issue of Today's Veteri- nary Practice, Dr. Sheilah Robertson addressed the challenges of acute pain assessment in cats. However, deciding how to effectively treat this pain presents its own difficulties. Pain in cats—both acute and chronic—is dif- ficult to treat because cats: • Metabolize some drugs more slowly than dogs, potentially increasing the risk of adverse drug reactions 1-3 • Are prone to a gradual decline in renal func- tion; one recent study found that up to 50% of cats may have chronic kidney disease 4 • Can be difficult to medicate and often resist administration of oral medication • Often do not show obvious outward signs of pain or illness, making evaluation of medica- tion efficacy a challenge, especially in stoic cats 5 • Have a limited number of options when it comes to veterinary approved pain medica- tions. Feline Acute Pain Series Acute PAin in cAts treAtment with nsAiDs B. Duncan X. Lascelles, BSc, BVSc, CertVA, PhD, MRCVS, DSAS (ST), Diplomate ECVS & ACVS North Carolina State University Peer revieweD Feline Friendly Article Table 1. Characteristics of an Ideal NSaID for Use in Cats 1. Spares COX-1 and targets COX-2 2. Provides targeted action • Prolonged action in targeted tissues • Appropriate duration of action in the central nervous system • Spares 'non target' tissues 3. Can be administered with ease and accuracy • Injectable and oral forms available, which are interchangeable • Simple dose determination and titration • Palatable and easy-to-administer oral form 4. Displays wide safety margins and evidence- based clinical safety in target population • Toxicity studies demonstrate a wide safety margin in cats • Appropriately safe in the target population (eg, cats undergoing elective surgeries) 5. Demonstrates robust evidence of clinical efficacy • Effective for acute and postoperative pain control • Effective for alleviation of prolonged, maladaptive pain associated with chronic diseases TVP_2014-0506_FelinePainMgmt (Part 2).indd 24 5/23/2014 11:23:08 AM