Cats are very popular in Japan. After all, it’s the land of “Hello Kitty” and “cat cafes.” Also, in Japanese culture, felines are believed to bring good luck — and many in the country spend a great deal of money on their care. Knowing when a cat is experiencing physical or mental suffering, though, can be a challenge. However, a new Cat Pain Detector app from Japan addresses this issue by telling humans when their cat is suffering.
Cat Pain Detector app from Japan detects pain based on facial expressions
Carelogy, a tech firm, and Nihon University, both in Tokyo, collaborated on the Cat Pain Detector (CPD) app. The app utilizes an AI program trained on thousands of cat photos, enabling it to determine a cat’s pain based on facial expressions.
A survey conducted by Nihon University shows that when cats are in pain, 70% of the time humans fail to take them to a veterinarian — primarily due to not being aware that they are suffering. Also, knowing a feline’s facial expressions can also be difficult for vets to determine — and the pain is often not discovered until after examinations.
However, Carelogy and Nihon University claim that the new app can detect pain with a high degree of accuracy.
How the Cat Pain Detector works
For the Cat Pain Detector app, Carelogy and Nihon University’s College of Bioresource Sciences trained an AI program with 6,000 feline photos. The researchers studied the photos, looking at small details, such as the positions of the eyelids, noses, ears, and whiskers.
Then, they sorted the data according to the “Feline Grimace Scale,” which is a cat pain index published by the University of Montreal. The index uses a scoring system that measures the differences between healthy felines and those in pain with challenging-to-detect illnesses.
After that, the developers of the app fed the data into an AI system, which further refined its detection skills from 600,000 photos uploaded by users.
In an interview with AFP, Go Sakioka, the head developer at Carelogy, said that the app has a pain detection “accuracy level of over 90%.” Sakioka added, “We want to help cat owners judge more easily at home whether to see a vet or not.”
The app is already being used by veterinarians in Japan
Since its release last month, the Cat Pain Detector app has already gained 43,000 users. Most of them are from Japan, but some are also from South America and Europe. Also, the app is already being used by veterinarians in Japan.
Professor Kazuya Edamura at Nihon University described how it’s challenging for owners to recognize distress in their cats, but the app can overcome this hurdle. “This tool is a very unique application that uses AI to detect such minute changes. Cats are not very good at complaining of pain by themselves. We hope you will utilize this tool as one of the tools to understand your cat’s condition.”
However, Sakioka cautioned that more refinement is necessary for the app. “The AI system still needs to be more precise before it’s used as a standardized tool.”
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Header image: Nihal Karkala via Unsplash
I’m Mark Putzer, and my passion for animals and all things nature is a life-long love affair. Growing up in Wisconsin, I had many cherished memories of hiking, skiing, and enjoying the abundant wildlife in the Badger State.
My passion for animals led me to marine biology research for my studies at the University of Wisconsin. I researched the behavior and communication of humpback whales around Hawaii and Orca Whales around the San Juan Islands of Washington State. The experience of being close to these massive and magnificent creatures is amazing. Later, I taught outdoor education to children in California — passing along my knowledge of animals and nature to the curious minds of the next generation. I also love pets. This includes a Labrador Retriever dog named “Molly” when I was a kid — and now, an adventurous tabby cat named “Rosy.”
I’m here to share the wonders of the animal kingdom with you. Whether it’s a cherished pet at home or an animal out in the wild, there are many unique stories and interesting information to share on Weird Animal News! Enjoy!
