I had some rather painful surgery a few years ago and it made me appreciate how stoic our cats and dogs truly are. I was bedridden for a few weeks. It is not uncommon for my cat and dog patients who have undergone the same procedure to be up and around after only a few days. Now, was I just a wuss or do our pets not feel pain to the same extent that we do? Dogs and cats are basically wired for pain in the same fashion that we are. Though they demonstrate their discomfort differently, they still require safe and effective pain management. . It is important to understand why our reactions vary. It goes back to survival of the fittest. Pain can be a sign of weakness and infirmity. If an animal is not strong and robust, it may be the prey rather than the predator. Tolerating pain and working through it are survival mechanisms