What is a Healthy Weight for a Cat?

 While there is something endearing about a chubby cat there are no health benefits to being overweight. A significant issue for cats is an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes mellitus, which interestingly, is not a common issue for overweight dogs.




Body condition scoring is a useful tool although trickier in cats than in dogs.  To keep it simple the width across the lumbar spine (between the ribs and pelvis) should be narrower than the depth of the trunk.  The trunk of a cat with healthy weight would be 1.5 to 1.75 times as deep as it is wide.  Some cats have loose skin and subcuteous belly fat which makes the depth more difficult to estimate.

 

The points of the vertebrae along the spine and the top of the pelvis should be felt with gentle pressure and not obvious.  If your cat is getting wide across the back and looking more of a square shape than a rectangle it is very likely they are overweight.


Putting a cat on a diet can be challenging so preventing them getting chubby in the first place is best.  If they are becoming overweight they are eating more than they require and their diet needs tweaking.  Cat biscuits tend to be have more energy per amount fed and so merely reducing the amount fed is often not effective and leads to a hungry, vocal cat.  For the sake of peace and harmony the cat usually wins the food restriction battle.  There are biscuits available with less energy per amount fed and soft food has more bulk so can be an option to reduce the calories consumed and have the cat feel satiated.


Cats more than dogs, can get diseases that cause fluid to build up their abdomen which can make them appear fat but often the bones along the back are easily felt.  These cats need to see the vet promptly as this indicates a significant health problem.  


The Hills body fat index for cats can be useful.  The green zone is the ideal body condition for your cat and their healthy weight.

If you're unsure whether your cat is a healthy weight Scamps can offer further information and advice.


Hills body fat index for cats

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