Cat Pain Detector: This AI-Powered App Could Determine Whether or Not Your Cat Is In Pain

Cats are seen to be lucky in Japan, and owners of popular cats spend a lot of money on their upkeep. But how can you tell if they're feline down?

A Tokyo-based software company and university have collaborated to create an app trained on thousands of cat images that can tell you whether puss is in pain.

"Cat Pain Detector" has 43,000 users, largely in Japan, but also in Europe and South America, according to Go Sakioka, CEO of developer Carelogy.

The software is part of a growing array of technology for pet owners worried about the well-being of their animal pets, including comparable mood and pain monitors produced in Canada and Israel.

Carelogy collaborated with Nihon University's College of Bioresource Sciences to collect 6,000 cat pictures and meticulously study the postures of the cats' ears, noses, whiskers, and eyelids.

They then utilised a grading system developed by the University of Montreal to distinguish between healthy cats and those in discomfort owing to difficult-to-diagnose disorders.

Following that, the app developers entered the data into an AI recognition system, which has been enhanced thanks to about 600,000 photographs provided by users, according to Sakioka.

He told AFP that the software now "has an accuracy level of more than 90%."

According to the Japan Pet Food Association, 60% of cat owners visit a veterinarian at least once a year.

"We want to make it easier for cat owners to decide whether or not to take their cat to the vet," Sakioka added.

"Cat Pain Detector" is already being used by certain veterinarians in Japan, the country of Hello Kitty, where visitors flock to cat cafés and some tiny islands are plagued with stray cats.

However, he noted that "the AI system still needs to be more precise before it can be used as a standardised tool."