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Why is my cat in pain or cries when I pick her up? What's wrong?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | spayed

My cat does not move and seems to be in pain when I pick her up. What could it be?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Destini R. Holloway, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on July 1st, 2016

Any type of abdominal or muscular pain has to be suspected. Depending on what area of the body is painful, this can give you some clues as to what is causing the pain. If there are no obvious wounds on Izzie's skin then I would suspect an internal injury. It takes a lot for a cat to show pain so the fact that Izzie is this symptomatic should raise concern. I would recommend taking her to your veterinarian asap so they can localize exactly where the pain is coming from and hopefully implement treatment for her. Don't be tempted to give her any human pain medication, because these are toxic in cats. She is best treated at the vet.

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    Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    I'm not sure how old Izzie is, but if she is an older cat, she could be having issues with arthritis. She could also have a GI illness, like pancreatitis or a foreign body, that is painful, and so it hurts when she is moved. With those diseases, however, I would expect to see other signs such as vomiting. It is not normal for a cat to not move and be in pain when picked up, so I recommend taking her into your vet soon for a health check. Your vet should be able to diagnose what is going on with her and how best to treat it.

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