Professor Kazuya Edamura, head of the Nihon University Animal Medical Center, uses "CatsMe!" – an AI-driven smartphone app jointly developed by tech startup Carelogy and researchers at Nihon University – to detect when a cat is in pain, during an examination to a cat at the medical center in Fujisawa, south of Tokyo, Japan, June 11, 2024. /Reuters
As Japan's population ages and birth rates decline, pets have become an increasingly vital part of many households. According to the Japan Pet Food Association, there were nearly 16 million pet cats and dogs, a number that exceeded the population of children under 15 in the country last year. This shift has spurred advancements in pet care technology, helping owners ensure the well-being of their pets.
To meet this growing need, the UK-based health tech startup Carelogy, in collaboration with researchers at Nihon University, has introduced an AI-driven smartphone application called CatsMe!. This app helps pet owners monitor their cats' health by detecting signs of pain, thereby reducing the need for frequent and stressful visits to the veterinarian.
The process is simple: pet owners upload a photo of their cats, and the AI analyzes the cats' facial expression, categorizing the likelihood of pain into three levels: none, slight or severe.
Since its launch last year, CatsMe! has attracted over 230,000 users. The AI, trained on 6,000 pictures of cats, is reportedly more than 95 percent accurate, and developers anticipate further improvements as the system learns from more feline faces.
Professor Kazuya Edamura, head of Nihon University Animal Medical Center, points to cat photos on a computer screen used to train the AI of "CatsMe!," an AI-driven smartphone app, as he gives a lecture to students on diagnosing pain in cats at the medical center in Fujisawa, south of Tokyo, Japan, June 11, 2024. /Reuters
Kazuya Edamura, a professor at Nihon University involved in the app's development, said vets like him can tell to a certain degree whether an animal is in pain, but it's much harder for owners.
"Our statistics show that more than 70 percent of elderly cats have arthritis or pain, but only 2 percent of them actually go to a hospital," he said, adding that they use the app as a tool to help owners determine whether their cat's condition is normal rather than providing a final diagnosis.
One of the early adopters of CatsMe! is Mayumi Kitakata, who uses the app to monitor her 14-year-old cat, Chi. "He is at an age where more and more diseases are going to appear," said Kitakata. "Being able to consult the vet but still reduce the number of visits to the hospital is very important for him and for me."
The introduction of CatsMe! reflects a broader trend of integrating technology into pet care, providing owners with tools to better understand and manage their pets' health. As the app continues to evolve, it may become an important resource for pet owners, offering peace of mind and improving the quality of life for pets and their owners.